A smart, sustainable bridge made of biocomposite

A frontrunner in the field of circularity

The old bridge over the Van Harinxma Canal near Ritsumasyl, The Netherlands had come to the end of its technical life and had to be replaced. The Province of Fryslân had an ambition to be a frontrunner in the field of circularity and took the opportunity to turn their ambition into action when the old bridge needed to be replaced. They wanted to prove that a bridge made of biocomposite was possible to build.

It had never been done before and adding to the complexity of the project, the bicycle bridge had to be resistant to the effects of wind forces, temperature fluctuations and variable loads.

World’s first bio-based movable bicycle bridge

Sweco’s monitoring, and asset management experts were involved from the beginning of the project. Their expertise was necessary for the project which saw this large bridge in the public road network; the world’s first bio-based movable bicycle bridge built from natural raw materials.
The movable bicycle bridge has 66 metres of biocomposite road surface, made of 80 per cent flax and resin.

Three billion data points per year monitor bridge performance

Some 200 fibre optic sensors allow Sweco to continually measure how the biocomposite performs and records any changes in the shape of the bridge. The sensors collect 3 billion data points every year, so experts know exactly how the bridge is doing under all circumstances. Based on this big data, vast knowledge about the material is created that can be used in the design of similar projects in the future.

By proving that a bridge of this scale can be built using natural raw materials, a revolutionary example has been created which eliminates the use of common construction materials such as steel and concrete. This offers a boost for the concept of the circular economy.

A collaborative approach to creation

From the start, a collaborative approach has been used that encourages all partners to be critical, share ideas, test and create. In addition to Sweco, other participating partners such as Strukton Civiel, SPIE, Delft Infra Composites, Witteveen+Bos, Antea and research institutes including TU Delft, and the Universities of Osnabrück and Leuven, along with GreenPAC all had a strong drive to realise this special bridge working together.