De Blauwe Loper, the Blue Carpet in English, will redefine bike infrastructure ambition.
"In the far northeastern reaches of the Netherlands, construction has commenced on what’s being touted as the longest bicycle and pedestrian bridge in Europe," reports Matt Hickman.
The bridge will span more than 2,600 feet long, with future plans to extend beyond 3,000 feet.
"Dubbed Blauwe Loper, or Blue Carpet, the wooden structure with a 2.5 percent gradient will technically be a series of four interconnected bridges spanning a large lake, a canal, a nature reserve, and a busy highway," according to Hickman.
"With a price tag topping $7 million dollars, this ambitious work of car-eschewing infrastructure will connect the city of Winschoten with Blauwestad, a bucolic residential development-turned-lakeside recreational area, in its initial phase."
FULL STORY: Work on Europe’s longest cycling bridge kicks off in the Netherlands
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