Vëlodukt Esch-Belval

The Vëlodukt is a bridge without a river beneath it. Instead, it threads a route between railway lines, working industry and rows of trees, turning what once separated Esch and Belval into a direct way between them.

The elevated structure stretches for approximately 1.2 kilometres and forms part of a 1.9-kilometre cycling and walking connection. It links Esch-sur-Alzette with Belval through national cycle route PC8, keeping people on foot or bicycle away from road traffic for much of the journey.

Its weathering-steel structure fits naturally into Belval’s industrial surroundings. The warm, rust-coloured surface feels less like an imported piece of infrastructure and more like something shaped by the same landscape as the furnaces, railways and steelworks around it.

Building the route required some careful decisions. The available corridor between the railway and the ArcelorMittal site was narrow, while an established row of trees stood along part of the path. Instead of removing them, the designers suspended one section of the bridge from a series of gantries and shifted the structure towards the railway.

The Vëlodukt is practical infrastructure, but it is also one of the best ways to read the landscape. From around 7.5 metres above ground, cyclists and walkers see a side of Belval that is difficult to appreciate from street level: active industry, railway movement, preserved trees and the new city growing around them.

Opened in December 2022, the Vëlodukt is free to use and accessible to pedestrians, cyclists and people with reduced mobility. It is both a route into Belval and a destination worth crossing for its own sake.