Update: part of the walkway over the Heidelberglaan to be demolished this summer

Update 19 July: In addition to previous communications about the demolition work, this article provides an updated schedule for some activities. 

What has changed:

  • The crane will be assembled on Monday, 26 July (instead of Monday, 2 August). The crane will stand in the island between the bike path and the Heidelberglaan, near the Coimbrapad junction, until Friday, 6 August. 
  • Scaffolding will be erected under the walkway from 08:00 and 19:00 on Friday, 23 July and Saturday, 24 July (instead of the week of 2 August). 
  • The demolition work will take place between Monday, 26 July and Friday, 6 August (instead of between 2 and 6 August).

More time has been allotted for these activities to ensure that the demolition work that causes the most obstructions and irritation will not have to be done during nights and weekends. 

This summer, part of the ‘Brugzaal’ walkway over the Heidelberglaan between the Willem C. van Unnikgebouw and the University Library will be removed. The demolition work will be conducted over five days, from Monday, 2 August to Friday, 6 August, unless working at weekends is really necessary. This work is possible because the tram line under the walkway will be out of service for maintenance.

Work activities

Before the actual demolition work begins in August, builders will conduct the preparatory work such as removing the furnishings, floors, sliding doors, window panes and roof tiles. This work will take place between Monday, 12 July and Friday, 30 July. The materials will be removed via the building site at the Van Unnik building. The demolition work in August will use a crane located in the island between the bike path and the Heidelberglaan, near the Coïmbrapad junction. The crane will lift the large sections of the walkway and load them directly into the container. Container lorries will then carry away the containers via the Coïmbrapad. Traffic wardens will safely guide bicycles and vehicles around the site as containers are delivered and removed. 

Contractor working hours

The contractor will begin work at 08.00 and end at 17.00. If more time is needed, then the builders may continue working until 23.00 and/or at weekends (as with the tramway).

Possible obstructions and irritation

During the preparatory phase (12 July to 30 July) you may experience inconvenience from trucks driving in and out of the work area of the low-rise building. During the demolition of the structure (from 2 to 6 August) you will hear the sound of scaffolding being erected and concrete and steel being cut and milled. At the end of the demolition you may experience noise from the removal of the concrete foundation. This foundation will be removed to below the street surface so that the street can be paved again. 

Demolition combined with tram line maintenance

The demolition work has been moved up to coincide with the Province of Utrecht’s maintenance work on the tram line from 26 July to 22 August. Tram service will be suspended to facilitate this work, and buses will be provided to offer replacement transportation. The buses will be diverted around the site, and the tram line power will be switched off. Since these measures are also necessary for the demolition of the walkway, we have decided to take advantage of the tram maintenance period to complete the demolition. 

Why is part of the walkway being demolished?

This summer, only the Brugzaal section of the walkway will be demolished. The section above the bike path adjacent to the Library will remain in place until the method for detaching it from the library has been decided upon. The walkway hasn’t been in use for several years now. It was originally part of the Willem C. van Unnik building, and the demolition of the lower part of the building is almost complete. The demolition of the walkway is part of the Van Unnik building redevelopment project, in which the tall section of the building will be renovated for use as office and teaching space. You can read more about it at www.uu.nl/en/vanunnikgebouw. 

More information

For more information about the tram line maintenance this summer, please visit www.uu.nl.  If you have questions about the walkway, please feel free to send an e-mail to: vanunnik@uu.nl.