Major roads in Flanders will undergo construction work at 43 different locations this year, leading to significant traffic disruptions, Flemish Mobility Minister Annick De Ridder acknowledged on Monday, while promising the “best possible supervision.”
A complete overview of the construction sites can be accessed on the website of Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer, the Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency.
In particular, a bridge over the E40 in Flemish Brabant, near Dilbeek and Asse, will be completely replaced by the end of the year. There will also be work at the Woluwe-Saint-Étienne interchange.
Some major projects are related to military transport, including the continuation of work on the conversion of the N49 into a motorway linking Antwerp to the coast. This project has already been completed from the Flemish metropolis to Zelzate (E34) and is now progressing in West Flanders, around Damme and Maldegem.
This extensive initiative is financially supported by the EU and aims, among other things, to facilitate military transport on this road.
As part of the EU’s encouragement of military mobility, it is now time to submit projects for 2028, according to the minister. Flanders intends to focus on the road from the Waaslandhaven, an extension of the Port of Antwerp, to Germany.
In the Antwerp Port area, significant works are ongoing to renovate the Beveren Tunnel on the R2 ring road. This renovation will include a new system with lights and barriers that will close the tunnel's entrance during heavy traffic, with a view to keeping congestion outside the tunnel for improved safety.
