Hoge Brug bridge

The Hoge Brug (in Maastricht dialect: Hoeg Brögk) is a bridge for cyclists and pedestrians that spans the Meuse in Maastricht. The bridge was opened in 2003 and connects the southern section of Maastricht’s historic city centre with both the Wyck neighbourhood and the new Céramique district, both on the eastern bank of the river.

The bridge was designed by architects from the Liège firm of René Greisch. 261 metres long and 7.20 metres wide, the bridge sits 10 metres above the river and, at its highest point, 26 metres above the water line. In 2004, the bridge won the Staalprijs (Steel Prize) from the Bouwen met Staal (Building with Steel) foundation.

To keep the river clear of further obstructions to boats, the Rijkswaterstaat (part of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management) decreed that no pillars could be erected in the Meuse. A steel arch design was chosen for the bridge, with a carriageway suspended from diagonal cables, and pillars on both banks of the river. The clearance needed for shipping would have created very steep walkways onto the bridge, so deep, low-slope steps were constructed to get around this problem. There are lifts at both ends of the bridge for people with reduced mobility. In the Céramique quarter, the bridge comes out on Plein 1992, and on the city centre side there is an exit into Stadspark (for Onze Lieve Vrouwewal) and another one onto Maasboulevard.