Ghent (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The new Krommewal bridge in Ghent was successfully placed on May 10, 2025, using 2 large steel parts. Geert Weymeis (Flemish Waterway) confirmed smooth operations. R40 and tram T4 were disrupted.
As VRT News reported, the new Krommewal bridge in Ghent was moved and set up without any problems. Geert Weymeis from the Flemish Waterway said that the calm weather was important for moving the bridge parts. The big parts were moved on May 10, 2025, early in the morning, and there were no issues during the move through the city.
Weymeis said that the move went well and there were no problems. Because of safety, people in 5 nearby houses had to leave their homes for a short time. This was done because the houses were very close to the crane that lifted the bridge parts. It was a safety measure for the heavy lifting.
How was the Krommewal bridge installation in Ghent completed?
Besides the house evacuations, the bridge work also affected nearby roads and transport. Part of the R40 ring road around Ghent was temporarily closed for bridge transport and crane work. Public transport, especially tram line T4, was also affected.
Overhead tram lines at some intersections had to be taken down so the big bridge parts could pass safely. Because of this, tram line T4 will only go to the Tolpoort stop until Thursday, May 15th, 2025.
Officials mentioned that this has caused some temporary problems, and people walking and biking in the area need to use different routes around the construction zone. After they are installed, there will be some final work done, which will complete a major improvement to Ghent’s infrastructure.
“The idea is to place the pieces precisely against each other. It comes down to centimetres,”
Says Weymeis.
The Krommewal bridge in Ghent, which was built in the 1990s, needed to be replaced because it was not strong enough for the amount and weight of traffic today. The old bridge was made for lighter loads, but it couldn’t handle the bigger, heavier vehicles anymore.
The city decided to build a new bridge to fix this problem. The new bridge is made of 2 large steel parts that were put together and kept at the Handelsdok in Ghent since the end of April 2025. On May 10, 2025, at 6:00 AM, these 2 big steel parts began their move to where they will be placed, near the Sleepstraat.
They mentioned that moving these parts was planned carefully because they are so big and heavy. The route went through the city centre, where the streets are narrow and the turns are tight, making it hard for the teams moving the parts to get through.
Around 9:30 AM, the bridge parts arrived at the Krommewal site. A big crane carefully lifted each part into place. The bridge parts are over the River Lee, the workers will fix them in place and finish building the rest of the bridge. Officials mentioned that the new bridge will be stronger and last longer, and it will make traffic safer and easier in the area.
