Seine-Scheldt waterway – Upgrade of the Scheldt in Tournai

As part of the works on the Seine-Scheldt link, the Scheldt is to be expanded to CEMT class Va at the Tournai crossing.

The main works concern the widening of the Scheldt and the construction of a new quay wall on ± 200 m in front of the “pont à Ponts”, the replacement of the “pont à Ponts” by a new steel structure and the widening of the central arch of the “pont à Trous”. Related to the project, the Scheldt quays are also being redeveloped on the surface over a length of ± 3 km and a nautical stopover is being built at the Taille-Pierre quay.

The work is divided into 4 phases. Various sketches of the two crossing structures have been designed by Greisch in collaboration with the Parisian architectural firm ANMA.

At the end of 2013, the sketches were made available to the public before the environmental impact study began. The planning permit application was submitted in 2015 for the phases 1, 2 and 3.

For the phase 4, a new permit application was submitted in 2017 following the implementation of citizen workshops by the City of Tournai.

Improvements to the area surrounding the “pont des Trous” include the creation of stepped banks and balconies on the water.

A metal footbridge is attached to the Delwart bridge to promote soft mode crossings and the arches of the “pont des Trous” are reinterpreted to free up a 12.5 x 7 m.