New cyclist and pedestrian bridge over Leie installed in Waregem

The bridge is located near Beveren-Trakel in Waregem with a run-up to the Zavelput and on the other side in Ooigem, a sub-municipality of Wielsbeke, near the old Leiearm.

First, the three steel bridge sections were sailed to the site on pontoons from the steel constructor in Ghent. Then putting the construction together is not obvious. The ‘Vlasbrug’, a reference to the history of the region, is S-shaped and about sixty meters long. All parts added up, she also weighs 300 tons.

Not ready for use yet

Once the bridge is in place, cyclists and pedestrians cannot immediately cross the Leie. Traffic will only be possible once the bridge has been completed and the area around the new eye-catcher has been addressed. Until then, the towpaths on both sides of the river will remain closed and diversions will be in place.

The price tag of the ‘Vlasbrug’ is about 2.6 million euros. The municipality of Wielsbeke and the city of Waregem pay just over a third of that amount. The European Regional Development Fund also invests in infrastructure. The necessary surrounding works will cost 2.8 million euros, but De Vlaamse Waterweg will bear that invoice.