Hammerel Bridge in Bettembourg Inaugurated

On Friday 4 April 2025, Yuriko Backes, Luxembourg's Minister of Mobility and Public Works, inaugurated the new Hammerel Bridge in Bettembourg, in the presence of Laurent Zeimet, Mayor of the municipality, and officials from the Roads and Bridges Administration.

This new infrastructure, which (re-)connects the two parts of Bettembourg, constitutes a major axis for regional connectivity and is of great importance to the residents of the municipality as well as the southern part of the country. Designed to last at least a century, it will accommodate nearly 15,000 vehicles every weekday, thus reinforcing the key role of the N13 national road.

The objective of this reconstruction project was to replace the old bridge, dating from 1974.

Due to the advanced deterioration of the old bridge, as well as the new standards required for railways (piers too close to the tracks and within the platform perimeter, insufficient clearance), it was decided to replace the old bridge with a new metal "bow-string" structure at the same location.

The project was completed in record time, in less than 20 months. In addition to the traffic lanes, 2.50-metre-wide mixed-use paths were created on each side of the bridge to promote soft mobility.

Between mid-July and mid-August 2024, the old bridge was completely demolished, and the new bridge, which had been assembled in front of Bettembourg station, was installed by sliding it onto Kamags (special heavy-duty vehicles). Using a complex process called "pianotage," the heavy loads were moved under the de-energised catenaries to their final location.

The construction site will be completed by late spring 2025, including work on the new sidewalk crossing on Rue Auguste Collart, as well as the restoration of the station parking lot and bus station.

Regarding the bridge's inauguration, Minister Backes stated: "The bridge construction site was a particularly complex project due to the presence of the station and the railway tracks located below. Many thanks to the teams who carried out this work quickly and efficiently, thus enabling the resumption of traffic on this essential artery for Bettembourg and the south of the country."