Construction has started on the Netherlands’ newest bridge, an 800 metre bicycle bridge between the town of Winschoten and a nearby recreation area at Blauwestad. It will be Europe’s longest built-for-bikes bridge when it opens later this year.
The €6 million project, actually four connected bridges crossing a waterway, highways, a nature reserve and a lake, will also allow pedestrians. It’s being built with sustainable materials and its lighting will be powered by solar cells. The project leader told Dutch press that it might actually reach a full kilometer by extending further into Blauwestad.
Bats will also get a bonus: the LED lighting on the bridge will help them cross to foraging areas. The bridge will be painted in a “bat-friendly color.”
