Palace bridge: more than an emotional connection

The Paleisbrug in Den Bosch is an elevated park and bicycle/pedestrian bridge in one. The bridge forms a 250-meter-long connection across the railroad between the historic center of Den Bosch and the Palace Quarter. Never before has a similar bridge been built over the railroad. The unusual bridge in weather-resistant steel recently won the 2016 National Steel Award in the Infrastructure category. The jury speaks of a constructive expression that transcends its primary functionality with conviction. The jury also praised the technical inventions.

The design of the bridge is by Benthem Crouwel Architects, and the steel construction was provided by Jos van den Bersselaar Constructie. "The construction in Corten steel is not exactly common for a bridge of this size," Hans van den Bersselaar knows. "In addition, the bridge also has a garden on its back, inspired by the famous High-Line Bridge in Manhattan, New York." So it is more than just a connection, but also a place where people can walk and sit on a bench looking out over the railroad tracks. On either side of the bridge is an elevator reminiscent of a cog railway; in fact, the elevators here go up at an angle.

Jos van den Bersselaar produced the bridge in slabs at the production site in Udenhout. "Our production site is not located by the water; all the slabs had to be able to be transported by road," he says. "At a work site next to the railroad, the slabs were then welded together. Since this took place in the winter period, a complete wind- and waterproof work site was set up, including a tent, heating, power supplies and security. We thus "camped out" in Den Bosch for several weeks, working day and night. Once linked together, the 57-meter-long and 360-ton rail-crossing section was hoisted in one off-duty weekend."

The approach bridges are structurally designed with a tubular steel form and a reinforced concrete floor forming a unit. The bridge has a total weight of about 1,350 tons of steel. Says Van den Bersselaar, "Because weathering steel is sensitive to permanent moisture loads, all parts have been designed and produced so that penetrating moisture can and will leave the structure immediately. In addition, the pavement on the bridge is equipped with low-temperature underfloor heating, which acts as a huge solar collector in the summer and supplies energy to the surrounding neighborhood via a heat pump and an existing thermal storage system."

Van den Bersselaar is pleased that the Palace Bridge has been honored. "Partly because of the National Steel Prize, the special bridge is now extra in the picture. The Palace Bridge shows par excellence what can be made with weather-resistant steel. With the advantages of a warm appearance, no maintenance through reconditioning and a natural appearance."