During the weekend of 23 and 24 January, Merelbeke was the setting for major infrastructure works. The whole Bergwijk bridge which spanned both the Ringvaart and the R4 was demolished in one weekend. The middle section of the bridge – over the water – was lowered onto pontoons using cables so that it could be taken away by boat. The part of the bridge that runs along both sides of the water over the R4 was demolished in situ.
The demolition of this long bridge was a huge task which involved working round the clock the whole weekend. First of all, the middle section of the bridge that spanned the Ringvaart was lifted up on Friday evening and then slowly lowered onto pontoons in the water, using cables during the night and over the weekend. On the pontoons, preparations were made to enable the huge structure to be taken away by boat and fully dismantled elsewhere.
At that location, a section of the R4 Ghent ringroad runs along both banks of the Ringvaart, with traffic travelling in one direction on one side and in the other direction on the other. The two ends of the Bergwijk bridge that spanned the R4 were demolished in situ and the pieces of the old bridge were then also taken away.
The construction of the new bridge also involved cooperation with the local authority in Merelbeke, the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic and the province of East Flanders. In addition, Europe has also made an important contribution via the European Fund for Regional Development (EFRO), a programme for investment in cycling and the CEF Fund for the Improvement of Maritime Traffic. The works were carried out by the consortium of Franki and Herbosch-Kiere.