Menen crossing

The crossing of the Lys in Menen is part of the broader Seine-Scheldt project. This includes the implementation of an inland navigation link for larger vessels (CEMT class Vb) between the Seine basin and the Scheldt basin and the North Sea ports. In order to allow these larger ships to sail on the Lys, the narrow waterway with its sharp bends had to be tackled at Menen. In this project, SBE is acting as the co-ordinator for the Menen Crossing Partnership, in which SBE is collaborating with Ney+Partners (bridge design) and OMGEVING (public space design).

The works on the Lys crossing in Menen are on two fronts: on the one hand the straightening of the Lys itself in the city centre, which includes new quay walls and a new bridge, and on the other a new bicycle and pedestrian bridge in the outskirts of the project area.

After a thorough inventory phase, a nautical design was made for the Lys axis within the entire project area. This develops both the straightening in the city centre and the future widening of the bend in the periphery. The nautical design in the periphery is important in determining the siting of the bicycle and pedestrian bridge: after all, we must be sure that there will be no conflict with the future widening of the Lys. The widening of the bend that will be needed here will only be done later, during the calibration works on the river (future project for reach 160) while the bridge is already being built. This bridge will be part of the Komen-Deinze bicycle highway and will also connect the city centre to the future Barakkenpark.

Subsequently, a preliminary design was developed for the entire project area. This preliminary design includes the new quay walls, the new central bridge in Rijselstraat, the entire public space in the core zone, the future banks in the peripheral zone and the bicycle and pedestrian bridge. In drawing up this design, both the new waterway situation and the surrounding quays, bridges and utilities – as well as the impact on the latter – were taken into account.

In order to make the straightening of the Lys and all the associated works in the central zone possible, a considerable number of buildings will have to be demolished. Before the start of the design work, De Vlaamse Waterweg itself had already taken the initiative for the necessary acquisitions and expropriations. The co-ordination of the transfer of ownership and the development of the final demolition works are part of this project.