In 2003 a plan was made to diminish the effects of a provincial road constructed in the early seventies of the last century that went around the city of Delden.

When this road was built it cut off most of the relationships, spatially and functionally, between the city of Delden and the Twickel estate.

One of the main proposals was the building of bridges to reconnect old pathways, and an avenue that had been cut off by the new road. One of the most dramatic of these was the Twickelerlaan, the entrance avenue between Delden and Twickel castle. The southern part of this lane lined by stately oak trees was simply cut off. That meant also that the ‘parkway’ between the Twickelerlaan and the station lost its connecting function, became redundant and in time completely overgrown.

 

The provincial road is broad in relation to the height of the bridge. So normally one would realize a bridge of that height crossing the road with stairs or a ramp on both sides. In this case a ramp was not feasible as there is simply no space for such a comodity. People needing a ramp can still use two underpasses not far to the east and the west. This bridge is simply an extra.













The fact that this new bridge is part of the landscape park means that it should be more than just a bridge, it should be a feature, a folly, something to enjoy. For that reason this bridge does not stop at the required functional height but continues upwards until it can go downwards again to reach the other side. The bridge becomes a viewing point, a park asset.

Traffic on the motorway encounters the bridge as an entrance arc and as a very different feature than normal bridges over motorways. In that way they become aware of crossing a special area, a landscaped park.

 

The architecture is inspired by steel constructions of the nineteenth century. The weight bearing construction is made as light as possible and forms the railing of the bridge itself. It is painted in a pale grey green. Because the road is bridged at an angle the two weight baring constructions are not parallel which gives the bridge an extra visual complexity. The stairs hang in between this structure and are, for reasons of maintenance, made of stainless steel. From the very start the inhabitants of Delden loved the bridge and considered it an additional landmark to their city.






Client
Stichting Twickel

Design
Michael van Gessel

Construction engineering
Jos Olde Hanter

Photography
Emilio Troncoso Larrain