Vlaamse Waterweg, the Flemish Waterway administration, has announced a date for the raising of an arch bridge in the west of Belgium.
Kuurnebrug, an arch bridge over the river Leie, will be closed for most of 2025 during the works. It presently has a 6.5m clearance but will be raised by 0.5m to give passage to ships stacked with three layers of containers. The lift is part of the Seine-Schelde project, which will allow ships up to 4,500t to move between the Flemish seaports in Belgium and the Paris region of France.
The bridge lift will be accomplished with hydraulic jacks and the project includes raising of the approach ramps and improvements to the surroundings. The 1990s structure is in good condition and it will get a coat of paint and new railings during the works. Half of the bridge lift project will be funded by the European Union.
Simultaneously, the city of Harelbeke will renovate the road that the bridge is on, including installing a new sewer system.
