The famous 20 km of Brussels run will once again take place in the centre of Belgium's capital this Sunday (28 May). As well as attracting thousands of participants for the sporting event of the year, the event also causes disruptions to mobility.
A total of 42,000 runners and walkers of over 140 nationalities will be taking part, organisers told The Brussels Times. The iconic run starts and ends at the Parc du Cinquantenaire and will see many key streets closed off for large parts of the day on Sunday. Some tram and bus services will also be interrupted if they cross the course.
"On the last Sunday of May, it will be recommended to travel by public transport or bicycle," the organiser of the sporting event wrote on its website.
Street closures
From 08:30 on Sunday rue Belliard, rue de la Régence, Avenue Louise, Place Poelaert, Bois de La Cambre, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, Chaussée de La Hulpe, Boulevard du Souverain and Avenue de Tervueren will be completely closed to traffic.
"Streets will be reopened gradually after Brussels Net's crews have visited," the organiser noted. Rue Belliard is expected to reopen around noon, followed by Avenue Louise around 13:00, Avenue Franklin Roosevelt around 14:00, Boulevard du Souverain from 15:00 and finally Avenue Tervueren around 16:00 in the afternoon.
The route which participants will follow on Sunday. Credit: 20km of Brussels
Motorists coming into Brussels on the E411 can get to the centre of Brussels via the Herrmann-Debroux viaduct while crossing the Montgomery roundabout on Avenue de Tervueren is possible via Rue de la Loi. "The roundabout will remain open until 10:30 and will be accessible again from 16:00."
Where possible, local diversions will be put in place but motorists are advised to avoid Brussels on Sunday. People travelling by car to the startline should head to the parking lots around Brussels (Kraainem or Delta) and take the Metro 1 to Gare de L'Ouest or Erasmus (stop Merode).
Parking is prohibited along the course; any vehicle in breach of this rule will be towed. The event offers a free secured bike park in Parc du Cinquantenaire between 08:00 and 17:00. Find out how to get to the start line here.
Public transport
As they directly service the stops nearest the start and finish line in Parc du Cinquantenaire, metro lines 1 and 5 will be reinforced throughout the day, Brussels public transport operator STIB announced, adding that the station should be accessed via the park side and exited via the Avenue de Tervueren side.
Several tram and bus lines will be disrupted to make the route traffic-free. Tram 7 will be interrupted between the Buyl and Vanderkindere stops until 13:30, and will be partly replaced by a T-bus, of which the full route can be found here.
Tram 8 will be interrupted between the Legrand and Trammuseum stops until 13:30, between Boondaal Station and Trammuseum stops from 13:30 and 15:45 and finally from 15:45 until 17:00 between the Herrmann-Debroux and Trammuseum stops.
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Until 16:30, tram 81 will be interrupted between the Merode and Montgomery stops. Travellers can take metro line 1 between these stops. Tram lines 92 and 93 will also be interrupted between Louise and Botanique until 13:00.
Finally, bus lines 12, 17, 21, 27, 33, 34, 36, 38, 41, 54, 56, 59, 60, 61, 64, 71, 72, 79, 80 and 95 will be interrupted or diverted at various points in the day depending on their positioning on the route. Find all the disruptions here.
