The demolition and reconstruction of the canal bridge in Viersel needed to be carried out in order to make the Albert Canal navigable for four-layer container vessels along its entire length. That required a clearance of 9.10 m.
The current bridge was replaced with a new steel arch bridge almost two metres higher with a span of 118 metres. During a subsequent phase, the canal was also widened from 50 to 86 metres. The bridge was provided with two lanes for vehicles, a two-way cycle path on the eastern side of the road and a footpath along the other side.