A Line Through the Meadow
The N322 cuts through the Land van Maas en Waal starting from junction Ewijk. The new western route relieves Druten and Beneden-Leeuwen from through traffic, and connects the existing eastern section of the road with a gentle curve and wide bend to the Prins Willem Alexander Bridge over the Waal River.
Line Structures
In collaboration with DHV engineers and visual artist René van Corven, the design of the new provincial road was not seen as a disruption to be mitigated in the ‘authentic’ landscape – a necessary evil – but rather as an opportunity to make the valuable cultural-historical landscape newly accessible and legible. The N322 becomes a new addition to the linear structures in the landscape, an autonomous line through the meadow.
The design strives for natural continuity and coherence with the existing N322 – the Maas and Waalweg – through the simple yet elegant character of the structures, the spacious asymmetric road profile, and the contrasting transitions between open and enclosed spaces. The road image is modest and unambiguous, with great attention given not only to preventing light pollution but also to avoiding “visual noise,” focusing on the experience of the landscape.
The water storage challenge in the area was translated into a finely branched system of parallel ditches and furrows – extending right up to the road profile – that aligns with the characteristic features of the low-lying clay soil landscape, making fluctuations in the water level directly visible to road users.
Five “incidents” with a strong mutual coherence punctuate the new route and connect the provincial road to the underlying local road network: two roundabouts, two overpasses of crossing roads, and one intersection.
Contact with the Landscape
The two overpasses contrast in their relationship with the landscape – one acting as a panoramic window, the other as a viewing scope – yet they share a clear formal similarity that ties them to the overpasses of the existing Maas and Waalweg: monolithic concrete, “grown into” the embankments, and an elegant arch define the image. The characteristic furrow pattern of the landscape returns as a subtle striped relief in the concrete. Four bicycle underpasses are part of the same design family as the overpasses.
A number of public spaces along the route, arranged in collaboration with René van Corven – including a viewpoint near the eastern overpass and two “picnic-for-one” spots – enhance the interaction between road users and the landscape in a special way. Among these, the carpool location near the western roundabout – along with the bus stop – forms a specific domain with a unique function and character.
Data
Landscape architecture: wUrck
Client: Ballast Nedam and Van Gelder, Province of Gelderland
Function: Provincial road , P&R, bicycle parking, infrastructure, land art
Design: 2009
Completion: 2011
Collaboration: Atelier van Corven and DHV
Area: 120 hectares
Photographers: Jan de Vries and Sky Pictures
Project Team: Paul Kersten, Ernst van Rijn, Svet Gavrilov, Danli Sheng, Lucia Longoni
Awards and Nominations:
2009
Selection by Province of Gelderland
Category: Spatial design in public procurement
Result: won the commission for design, realization, and landscape integration
