Bridging Rotterdam

The newspapers are full of it: Rotterdam wants to build two new bridges over the Maas.
Since the opening of the iconic Erasmus Bridge, a new bridge is discussed. The motivation of this investment is particularly sought in reducing traffic in the city. The bridge is thus a bypass, a road which should reduce the pressure on the heart of the city. But according to urbanist Floor van Dijk, a bridge can be much more than that. For her graduation project she spoke with various stakeholders and designed a bridge that is not just a road, but also a landmark, attraction and place to stay.

"Recently constructed bridges in Rotterdam are shifting from historical appearances and are focussing towards this new typology. In the past years, some pedestrian and cyclist connections are created to connect the city to recreational areas. This recreational purpose of these bridges is an introduction to the new typology as composition. This will show the added values of a bridge for a city as Rotterdam.

To complete the city structure and to stimulate the use of bikes in the city, four new bridges will be constructed over the Maas. On the long term, two bridges for pedestrians and cyclists are designed. On the short term, two new bridges will be constructed on the east and west location as was also assigned by the municipality. The locations of the bridges are decided on the multimodal accessibility of economic development areas and the missing links in the bike network. By making the bridge accessible for cyclists, the use of bikes is stimulated and this can compete for car use in the city. This is important to guarantee the quality of life in Rotterdam in the context of a growing population.

The four bridges are completing the rhythm of shore connections over the river Maas. By reducing the distance between the shore connections, it will become easier to cross the river. This stimulates developments in both city districts and improves the multimodal accessibility of many economic development areas."