At a busy junction in Eindhoven, the Netherlands, cyclists ride around a circular bridge suspended above motor traffic.
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cyclists → ride → traffic
Known as the Hovenring, the structure resembles a flying saucer held aloft by a tall, cigar-shaped steel pylon.
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structure → know → pylon
Its circular deck has a diameter of 72 metres and is suspended from the central pylon by 24 steel cables.
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deck → have → cables
Cars and other motor vehicles pass through the junction below, while cyclists and pedestrians cross above.
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cyclists → pass → junction
Designed by Dutch engineering firm ipv Delft, the bridge became a local landmark for its distinctive form and lighting.
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bridge → design → form
Its first period of use was cut short in January 2012, when cable vibrations led to the cycle roundabout being closed.
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roundabout → cut → January
Following repairs and adjustments, it was officially opened to the public on 29 June 2012.
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it → follow → June
The designer lists the construction cost at €6.3 million.
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designer → list → million
Its unusual appearance rests on an engineered system of cables, a circular counterweight and a tall central pylon.
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appearance → rest → cables
Hovenring Eindhoven: why the city built a circular cycle bridge above a busy junction
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city → build → junction
The Hovenring was developed to address congestion at a junction connecting Eindhoven with Veldhoven and Meerhoven.
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Hovenring → develop → Veldhoven
In an interview published by ipv Delft, senior designer and project leader Adriaan Kok explained that the existing ground-level roundabout carried different types of traffic and was poorly designed for cyclists.
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roundabout → publish → cyclists
The development of a nearby housing estate added to the need to redesign the intersection to accommodate growing traffic.
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development → add → traffic
Eindhoven wanted an alternative to cyclist underpasses and a conventional roundabout at road level.
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Eindhoven → want → level
The city asked ipv Delft to explore possible designs, and the team developed an elevated circular roundabout with four connecting bridges.
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team → ask → bridges
The arrangement allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross above the road while motor vehicles continue underneath.
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vehicles → allow → road
Kok also identified the junction's connections towards Eindhoven Airport and the A2 motorway as part of its wider transport context.
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Kok → identify → context
The design reflected Eindhoven's association with lighting and technology.
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design → reflect → lighting
Known as the City of Light because of its historical links with Philips, Eindhoven wanted an innovative structure that used lighting creatively and complemented the nearby Evoluon, a futuristic, saucer-shaped building.
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that → know → Evoluon
The circular bridge offered a way to combine the city's visual ambitions with a practical transport solution.
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bridge → offer → solution
To create comfortable gradients for the approach ramps without substantially expanding the junction's footprint, the road level underneath the bridge was lowered by approximately 1.5 metres.
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level → create → metres
The ramp gradients range from 2% to just over 3%, according to ipv Delft.
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gradients → range → Delft
Kok also described how the designers addressed local concerns about the slopes: stakeholders were invited to cycle over other ramps around Eindhoven whose gradients had been measured in advance, without being told the figures beforehand.
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gradients → describe → figures
The exercise allowed participants to judge the slopes for themselves.
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participants → allow → themselves
How 24 steel cables and a concrete counterweight support the Hovenring
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cables → support → Hovenring
The bridge's structural design centres on a circular deck, a single pylon and 24 steel cables.
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design → centre → deck
Rather than attaching the cables to the outer edge of the deck, the designers connected them to its inner side.
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designers → attach → side
According to ipv Delft's project description, this arrangement helps prevent twisting, or torsion, in the deck.
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arrangement → accord → deck
In his interview with ipv Delft, Kok explained that the inner circular counterweight is partly filled with concrete and helps balance the deck around the cable attachment points.
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counterweight → explain → points
The cable placement and counterweight work together to support the circular structure.
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placement → work → structure
M-shaped supports near the approach spans provide additional stability.
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supports → shape → stability
The circular deck has a diameter of 72 metres, according to ipv Delft.
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deck → have → Delft
The designer's specifications list a width of 5 metres.
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specifications → list → metres
The central pylon rises 70 metres above the ground.
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pylon → rise → ground
According to steel fabricator Kersten Group, the pylon is made from 23 conical steel segments, with plate thicknesses ranging from 20 to 50 millimetres.
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pylon → accord → millimetres
Kersten also describes slotted holes cut into the inside of the pylon where the cables come together.
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cables → describe → pylon
The designers wanted a thin circular deck and a powerfully shaped pylon.
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designers → want → deck
In its project description, ipv Delft explains that a standard cable-attachment arrangement would have created a bulky concentration of steel near the top of the pylon, so the team developed a tailor-made solution.
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team → explain → solution
Positioning the pylon in the middle of a busy road junction also required approval from Eindhoven's traffic planner.
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Positioning → position → planner
Hovenring lighting and cable vibrations: the challenges behind the landmark
Lighting is central to the Hovenring's appearance after dark.
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Lighting → hovenre → dark
…and 19 more, not listed.
The Aporia
