Sustainable and safer for cyclists

The Diepveldenweg is a new road connecting Eersel and Bergeijk City and is part of the Mobility in De Kempen-plan. Just over five kilometers long, the road brings road users to the Provincial Road N397 more quickly. Because this is also a busy bikeway, safety was a high priority for our clients. We paid a lot of attention to safety along the entire route, for example by constructing extra wide cycle paths with clear painted lines, introducing traffic calming measures for car drivers, and improving drainage to avoid slippery conditions. We also proposed around 20 improvements to make the project safer for cyclists as well as more sustainable.

Optimizing the design for safety

The new Diepveldenweg road would cross existing roads at two locations. At these locations we built a regular roundabout and an oval-shaped roundabout with bicycle tunnels on both sides. One of the optimizations we proposed was to increase visibility in both bicycle tunnels (15 and 16 meters long) at the oval-shaped roundabout. The most important modifications concerned straightening the lane entering the northern bicycle tunnel and shorten both tunnels. These measures have improved visibility significantly,making cyclists feel (socially) safer. Throughout the construction, we ensured that bicycle traffic could safely continue without closures (except for car drivers) and a max 200 meter detour for cyclists.

Sustainable solutions

Shorter bicycle tunnels mean better visibility for cyclists, but also less concrete, which means saving materials. We also used prefab tunnel sections resulting in less transport of materials, too. Taken together, the result was lower emissions in the work zone, not to mention drastically cutting the construction time. By using circular Lynpave asphalt (co-developed by Mourik) we managed to make the entire road surface three centimeters thinner, which also means less material and an emission reduction of more than 20% during production. Other sustainability solutions included installing energy-efficient LED lighting and using low-emission equipment in the work zone. For example, we worked with a crawler crane equipped with an ​​exhaust after-treatment system that filters virtually all harmful emissions. Together, our sustainability solutions reduced carbon emissions by 273 metric tons.

We are at our best in complex situations that require inventiveness and creativity. And we have the expertise for an optimal performance, from design and engineering to construction, maintenance to performance-based contracts, or even asset management. At Mourik Infra we have required in-house expertise, including specializations that are relevant for cycling infrastructure like bikeways and bicycle tunnels. For example, we have specialisms for 3D modeling and engineering (BIM), concrete civil engineering structures, traffic and stakeholder management, utility relocation coordination, environmental permits, and city mobility. We can help you shift your cycling policy into a higher gear. We love a challenge, so please, challenge us.