Hovenring – Floating Bike Suspension Bridge

Hovenring – Floating Bike Suspension Bridge in Eindhoven city, Netherlands

The Hovenring is a suspended bicycle path roundabout on the border between Eindhoven and Veldhoven in the Netherlands. It is the first suspended bicycle roundabout in the world.

The bright white 70 meters (230Ft) tall bridge pylon can be seen from far away. Attached to the top are 24 cables that suspend a large bicycle roundabout, 72 meters (236Ft) in diameter, that seems to float over a large new junction for motorized traffic. The exceptional piece of bicycle infrastructure was built to stand out. It is to be the iconic new landmark that signals ‘you are entering Eindhoven’. At night the slender bike ring is lit from below to further enhance that floating effect.

Building such a unique ‘circular bridge’ was more difficult than expected. During construction, early 2012, the cables vibrated much more than they were supposed to in the Dutch winds. Experts recalculated the design specifications and with some modifications and counter weights the cables became much more stable.

The construction started on 11 February 2011. The new crossing was opened on 30 December 2011.About a week later, the crossing was again closed for all traffic, because the suspension cables were found to vibrate in a manner that was considered harmful.. The Hovenring was finally opened to the public on 29 June 2012.