The Oosterweel connection completes the Antwerp Ring and partially puts it underground. The project aims to finally untangle the mobility bottleneck around Antwerp and improve the livability in and around the city.
An important step in this process is the Bypass: a temporary highway that takes over traffic from the existing Ring, allowing the Merksem viaduct to be demolished and make way for the future sunken Ring.
The Bypass is the largest accessibility measure in the implementation of the Oosterweel connection. From 25 October 2025, traffic heading to the Netherlands will use the first section of this temporary highway, a milestone in the works on the right bank.
To build the new sunken Ring, the current Ring had to be temporarily relocated. The Bypass forms this temporary Ring, constructed on the east side of the current route. The Bypass is 5.5 kilometers long, has three lanes per direction plus a hard shoulder, and a maximum speed of 70 km/h. For about eight years, it will guide traffic around the construction site: safely, efficiently, and without putting extra strain on the residential areas of Merksem and Deurne.
A technical highlight of this project is the arch bridge over the Albert Canal. Since the temporary Ring needed to cross the canal, a single-span bridge of 150 meters was chosen, designed as a bowstring bridge.
What makes this bridge unique is the innovative truss arrangement of the bars instead of straight, flexible hangers.
– The bridge is straight, but the road follows a curve. Due to the camber of the roadway, a doubly curved deck was created, making the geometry especially challenging.
– This design provides more stiffness with less material, which is beneficial both economically and ecologically.
The bridge deck is built as an orthotropic steel plate deck: a lightweight, stiff structure mostly prefabricated in the workshop. The bridge is then floated into its final position, limiting disruption on the construction site and significantly shortening the construction time. Since the bridge has a lifespan of only about ten years, it was designed for easy dismantling and recycling, keeping its ecological footprint minimal.
The Bypass is a feat completed just a year and a half after obtaining the permit, an exceptional achievement given the scale and complexity of the project.
This success is the result of close collaboration between the client Lantis, TM ROCO, TM Sturino, and numerous public and private partners.
The Bypass is temporary, but its impact is lasting. Once the sunken Ring is completed, the Bypass will disappear, making way for the Ringparks: green areas where nature, sports, and social interaction take center stage. In this way, the Bypass not only keeps Antwerp accessible during the works, but also paves the way for a smoother, safer, and healthier city.
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