Visual quality vision N271 at Bergen, Limburg

Dyke strengthening, a new road design, housing: all kinds of developments that prompted the Bergen Local Authority to have an overarching visual quality vision made for the N271, the traffic artery that connects all these developments. The vision made by Strootman Landschapsarchitecten helps us to develop the N271 as an attractive showcase for the region that introduces coherence and structure to the surrounding landscape.

The N271, originally constructed around 1840, was a former trunk road connecting Maastricht with Nijmegen. Over the years it was transformed from a narrow tree-lined lane to an important traffic artery between Venlo and Nijmegen. The original tree-lined lane has disappeared in places due to road widening and roadside developments. New buildings have disrupted the relation between road and landscape, and the visual quality at various points is ripe for improvement.

Strootman Landschapsarchitecten recommends the Bergen Local Authority to strengthen the relation between the road and the diverse landscape – enclosed by the Maasduinen at some points, affording a panoramic view of the Maasdal at others. To counter cluttering and to turn the N271 into an attractive parkway and showcase of regional qualities, we have drawn up three guidelines and interpreted them in terms of practical design principles and recommendations on greenery.

We recommend aiming at continuity in the road profile and the roadside vegetation; to restore the original quality of the lane where possible, and to introduce more landscape planting at other points. Making it possible to enjoy the variation between dense woodland and open landscape (again) contributes to the quality of the road and the experience of travelling on it. We also recommend marking important points along the way and creating entrances in the landscape at the main points of entry to the villages and the Maasduinen National Park.

Besides the design of the road itself, we have indicated locations where and under which conditions building is possible without disturbing the vision of the N271. The guidelines of the visual quality vision provide a coherent testing framework for the local authority to enable it to reinforce the quality of the road as a whole.