On 29 June 2012, Eindhoven city council opened the Hovenring, a 72‑metre circular bridge suspended above the busy junction that links Eindhoven with Veldhoven and Meerhoven. Built by Dutch engineering firm ipv Delft, the structure sits atop a 70‑metre pylon and is held up by 24 steel cables that attach to the deck’s inner rim. The €6.3‑million project cost was borne by the city, and the bridge’s design takes the shape of a flying saucer, a nod to the nearby Evoluon.
Adriaan Kok, senior designer and project leader at ipv Delft, explained that the cable arrangement prevents torsion and balances the deck with a 24‑metre‑long concrete counterweight. The 5‑metre‑wide deck is supported by M‑shaped lateral supports near the approach spans, while the cables pass through slotted holes in the 23‑segment pylon. The design also incorporates a 1.5‑metre lower road level to keep the gradients of the approach ramps between 2% and just over 3%.
The junction had become a bottleneck after the 2011 housing development in Veldhoven, and the city wanted a solution that would not require costly underpasses or a conventional roundabout at ground level. Kok said the elevated roundabout allows cyclists and pedestrians to cross above the traffic while motor vehicles continue underneath, effectively separating the two flows and reducing travel time for cyclists by up to 30 seconds.
Lighting plays a key role: aluminium lamellas, translucent sheeting, and tubular lights create a glowing ring that is visible even from the motorway. The LED strip along the railing illuminates each cyclist’s face, enhancing safety at night. Eindhoven, known as the City of Light due to its Philips heritage, wanted the bridge to be both a functional transport solution and a visual landmark that echoes the city’s technological identity.
Local cyclist Anouk de Vries, who has ridden the Hovenring every weekday since the opening, says the bridge has made her commute from Veldhoven to the city centre faster and safer. “Before, I’d have to wait at the traffic lights and risk being hit by a car,” she recalls. “Now I glide over the traffic and arrive a few minutes early.”
City officials announced that the bridge will undergo a structural inspection in March 2024, ahead of the scheduled maintenance of the cable tension system, to ensure continued safety for the 1,500 daily users.