The E25-E40/A602 (Liège) link’s renovation and modernisation operations will enter their final phase this summer, announced Mathieu Content, a representative for the Walloon Mobility Minister Philippe Henry.
The E25-E40/A602 (Liège) route, in service for over 20 years, required upgrades beyond periodic night-time maintenance to ensure user safety and comfort.
This major project, managed by Sofico, while anticipated and budgeted, was sped up due to the flooding in July 2021.
Following the renovation of the Grosses Battes, Kinkempois and Canal de l’Ourthe trenches in the summer of 2022, and the Cointe Tunnel towards Luxembourg during the summer of 2023, the final phase commences – the closure of the Cointe Tunnel towards Brussels.
This summer, from 30 June to 26 August, the route will be closed between Junction 38 Angleur/Grosses Battes/Belle-Ile and Junction 35 Avroy/Laveu. Sofico confirmed plans are in place for this section to reopen by 26 August, aligning with the first day of the school year.
Traffic calming measures have been planned by the Mobility Task Force. Through traffic heading north (to Netherlands, Germany, Brussels) is advised to circumvent Liège via diverts.
Heavy goods vehicles weighing over 7.5 tonnes and vehicles exceeding 6 meters in length (including caravans and buses) headed north will be prohibited in the Liège region. Only local deliveries will be allowed and the Liège police warn of potential checks on the Liège quays.
During the eight-week closure of the Cointe tunnel (towards Brussels), a number of maintenance works will be undertaken.
These include the installation of passive fire protection and necessary concrete repairs, lighting and cable renewals, camera upgrades and automatic incident detection, radio re-emission upgrades, pollution detection equipment replacements (CO, NO2, opacity and air speed), partial ventilation replacement, and electromechanical equipment disassembly and reassembly following the passive protection installation.
Further works will include highway-specific interventions such as the replacement of an expansion joint at the Pont du Pays de Liège.
The total budget for the entire E25-E40/A602 renovation and modernisation project is €85 million, funded by Sofico under the Walloon Recovery Plan and the Tunnel Plan.
