The Oosterweel project is one of the largest infrastructure and urban development projects ever undertaken in Belgium. The project aims to complete the Antwerp ring road, including underground infrastructure.The Merksem Viaduct (opened 1970) is part of the existing R1, the ‘ring’ around Antwerp, and currently realizes the elevated position of this highway. During the realization of the Oosterweel connection, traffic must still be able to use the motorway.The trench for the first part of the new deepened road is built very close to the existing viaduct. Settlements of the existing viaduct will occur because of construction works. The viaduct was never designed for these settlements. The structural safety of the viaduct must be always guaranteed, for which various calculations have been made. The paper describes both the design of the original viaduct, the desired future situation and temporary construction phases.
Vergoossen et al. (Wed,) studied this question.