From the 15th to 19th century the Meuse at Wandre was crossed by a ferry. In 1884 the first bridge crossing between Herstal and Wandre was built; it consisted of a metal bowstring bridge across the canal, a seven-arched brick-and-stone viaduct across the land between the two waterways, then a box-section rectangular girder truss bridge across the Meuse supported on three piers. Due to increased traffic caused by industrial development, a second bridge was built upstream of the first between 1935 and 1937; this was blown up by the Belgian Army in 1940. Two temporary metal pedestrian bridges of metal replaced the destroyed bridge.[2]
Construction of replacement bridges began in 1947; a 59.4-metre-long (195 ft) bridge across the Albert Canal (le pont de l'Esparanto), and a three-span concrete bridge across the Meuse of total length 190 m; the new construction was officially opened in 1948.[2]
An increase in traffic on the Albert Canal during the 1970s necessitated its expansion for larger vessels, requiring the widening of the channel from 35 to 85 m; as a result this expansion also required the construction of a new bridge.[2]
Work to construct a new bridge to replace the postwar bridges began in 1985;[2] the bridge was officially opened 16 June 1989, at a cost of 508 million Belgian francs.[1] It connects suburbs Wandre and Herstal of Liege, crossing the Meuse and Albert Canals,[1] the main support stands on the isthmus between the Meuse and Albert canal.
The total length of the bridge, including the approach sections, is c. 527 m; the main cable-stayed spans are 144 m and 168 m.[1] The inverted Y-shaped concrete main support is 88.5 m high, and supports a 22-metre-wide (72 ft) road deck.[3]
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