The Longest 3D-Printed Bridge for Cyclists Has Been Inaugurated in the Netherlands

Alas! After several months of work, the Dutch city of Nijmegen is now home to one of the longest 3D-printed bridges for cyclists. Inaugurated on September 8, the bridge measures 29 meters long and was manufactured in the 3D printing center of Saint-Gobain Weber Beamix, which utilizes several BAM robotic arms. One of the fascinating features of this structure is the method used for its design—the bridge was created using parametric design software that optimizes the material, printing time, and expenses depending on the loads applied to the bridge design, such as number of bicycles, pedestrians, weight, etc.

We initially introduced this project to you in April and promised to keep you updated on the bridge’s progress! Like the MX3D bridge finally completed in Amsterdam, this bridge in Nijmegen was inaugurated there in just a few days. Behind the scenes developing the structure are several partners including the Technological University of Eindhoven (TU/e) and architect Michiel van der Kley along with Summum Engineering and Witteveen+Bos for the parametric design and translation of the 3D model. The teams broke down the bridge into several 3D-printed blocks, assembled directly on-site for the sake of simplicity. Bert Velthuis, from the Nijmegen City Council, says “The city of Nijmegen is very honored to receive this innovative 3D-printed bridge. We are a city of bridges, and this special, innovative bridge is a wonderful addition. The bridge leads to connection: in the design and construction phase it connected the different partners, and from now on the bridge connects our residents.”