The renovation works on the Arts-Loi and Belliard tunnels that were due to start next year are being postponed until 2025, said Brussels Mobility Minister Elke Van den Brandt during the presentation of the mobility budget for 2024.
The budget for the works on the tunnels (€22.8 million) will now definitely be postponed to the 2025 budget due to "procedural reasons," according to Van den Brandt's office.
The permit application for the work on the tunnels was submitted in September 2022 and the public inquiry was completed at the end of January. The intention was for the works to start in 2024.
Important traffic arteries
The Arts-Loi tunnel is located under Rue de la Loi and the Schuman roundabout in the European quarter and connects the Cinquantenaire tunnel with Rue de la Loi. The Belliard tunnel is much longer and connects Rue Belliard with Avenue de Tervueren and the Reyers complex (the junction is underneath the roundabout). The tunnel is an important artery in Brussels, particularly for traffic exiting the capital.
The initial permit application stressed the urgency of the works, noting that the many tunnels in the Brussels-Capital Region are "not only outdated" but are also "characterised by technical installations whose functional shortcomings do not provide sufficient guarantees for the safety of users."
To guarantee the safety of the tunnels until the works can start, a new inspection method has been in place since this week, Pieterjan Desmet, spokesperson for Van den Brandt, told Bruzz. "Since this week, we have been applying a new inspection method in which the stability and safety of the tunnels are constantly monitored. Based on that information, we can act quickly 24/7."
'Opaque, ideological, dangerous and hypocritical'
However, the French-speaking liberal party MR strongly criticised the Minister's decision. "I am outraged by your policy on tunnel management. I find it opaque, ideological, dangerous and hypocritical. You are organising the closure of the tunnels," said Brussels MP David Weytsman.
A request was also made to appoint a specific committee to analyse the fate of the Brussels tunnels in detail, but Desmet said that Van den Brandt's office would not follow up on that.
