Brussels Leopold II tunnel closed until end of summer

Brussels Leopold II tunnel closed until end of summer
Credit: © Belga

The Brussels Region has confirmed that the Leopold II tunnel will stay closed 24/7 until the end of summer.

Brussels Mobility says that there is no reason to reopen the tunnel as traffic has reduced by 35% on major axes due to the corona crisis.

It has been over two years since renovation works on Brussels’ Leopold II began, but a halt in constructions due to social distancing means they are a long way from done. While construction work resumed on 26 April, Brussels Mobility has since confirmed that the tunnel won’t reopen before summer and it will stay closed 24/7.

Before the health crisis, the Leopold II tunnel was only closed at night, allowing 80,000 cars to drive in it during the day. “On the major axes and in the tunnels, we still see a 35% reduction in traffic. Thus, there is no reason to reopen the tunnel during the day" explained Brussels Mobility spokesperson, Camille Thiry to NewMobility.

"We have set a threshold defined by a certain number of cars per hour (800), but it still hasn’t been reached,” she added.

“This renovation is really essential for the tunnel. And this, unfortunately, causes nuisances. It’s inevitable. We are closely monitoring traffic to be certain that surface roads can absorb the traffic. Support measures will be set up whenever traffic requires them,”  Thiry explained.

The Brussels Times


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