Traffic from Sint-Stevens-Woluwé to the Vierarmen Tunnel in Tervuren was heavily interrupted on Monday morning as the renovation of the Leonard Tunnel entered its second phase. Drivers are advised to avoid this section of the ring road over the coming months.
The renovation of the key tunnel, which runs under the equally busy Leonard intersection, where the E411 motorway and the Brussels Ring Road R0 meet in Tervuren, began in April 2023. The entire tunnel was due for a thorough overhaul: since its construction in the 1960s and 1970s, parts of the concrete have been affected by de-icing salts, exhaust fumes and seeping groundwater.
In the first phase, the concrete walls and ceilings were repaired, the roof slab was given a protective treatment, the ceiling was given a fireproof coating, and the steel reinforcement in the concrete was treated to avoid rust. On Monday morning, the second phase of works began.
On Sunday night, the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic warned drivers of another inconvenience on the inner ring road (R0) east of Brussels: "Until the autumn, there will only be one lane between the Vierarmen Tunnel and Leonard Tunnel/E411," the Agency wrote on social media. "There will be extra traffic jams and delays."
Chaos during busiest month
During this phase, the contractor will work on the side walls of the entrances. As this is ongoing, motorists coming from Zaventem will be driving on a narrowed access (one lane instead of two) just before the Vierarmen Tunnel.
As predicted, this resulted in several disruptions on the Brussels inner ring road on Monday morning. At around 08:15, road users experienced delays of 45 minutes over a distance of five kilometres from Sint-Stevens-Woluwé to the Vierarmen Tunnel.
Next to the Leonard Tunnel, on the exit lane where traffic from the inner ring road divides to take the E411 in the direction of Namur, only one lane is available. There is also only one lane for traffic coming from the E411 from Namur to the Brussels outer ring road.
According to studies, March is also one of the worst months for traffic jams in the whole year, which will only add to problems. Traffic jams are therefore expected for motorists on the R0 from Zaventem in the direction of Waterloo during rush hour and long queues outside rush hour.
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The Agency therefore advised drivers to avoid the eastern side of the Brussels inner ring road and instead make detours via the western side of the outer ring road.
The contractor will then work on the steel supports on which part of the E411 tunnel (level -1) rests. Finally, the slab of the two tunnels of the Brussels ring road (level -2) will be completely renovated. At the end of this second phase, the resurfacing of the tunnels should be completed in October, after which the renovated crossroads and tunnels will be open to motorists.
