Renovation work on the Leonard Tunnel will enter a new phase on Saturday, two days ahead of schedule, prompting changes in traffic conditions around Brussels’ outer ring road.
To carry out the maintenance works, the lanes will be narrowed and a speed limit of 50 km/h will apply. It was previously announced that the new phase would start on Monday 6 November, but the Roads and Traffic Agency is adjusting that timing.
The Leonard Tunnel runs under the busy Leonard intersection, where the E411 motorway and the Brussels Ring Road meet in Tervuren. The tunnel has four passages: one for each motorway's travel direction.
Since April, the maintenance works have only caused inconvenience in the evening and at night, as the inner and outer ring tunnels have only been closing overnight on weekdays.
From Saturday, daytime traffic within the tunnels will also be impacted. Works will focus on the tunnel’s surroundings, involving the removal of concrete safety barriers and cable housings, and improving the infrastructure’s side-wall sealing. But the narrowed lanes and speed limit, which will now take effect, are only expected to cause additional delays to a limited extent.
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In a few weeks, the agency will also narrow the lanes in the other tube of the Leonard Tunnel on the inner ring road, and the same speed limit will apply there too, possibly causing additional delays during rush hours.
During December, the agency expects more serious disruption on the E411 and the R0 due to the works. Heavy disruption is also expected on the Brussels ring road in spring 2024. According to the current schedule, the large-scale renovation of the tunnel will take until early 2025.
