Work is starting to replace the Bospoort Bridge with a moveable crossing over the Charleroi Canal in Halle, Belgium, to allow the passage of vessels carrying three layers of containers.
The present Bospoort Bridge dates from 1954. It has been closed to traffic for safety reasons since it failed a 2010 inspection because of defects in its prestressing reinforcement. It was reopened the following year with a steel deck. But De Vlaamse Waterweg and the Halle City Council have decided the bridge has come to the end of its life.
The replacement is part of a package of interventions that will promote inland container shipping as an alternative to truck transport.
The Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters said, “Together with Europe, Flanders is investing more than €17.5 million [US$19 million] (50% each) in this new bridge.”
