After two and a half years of work, the Meuse quays in Liège were officially opened on Sunday. The site, which covers two kilometres, will let residents and visitors “retake the river”. Traffic should become more fluid. The official opening took place on Sunday. The President-minister Paul Magnette was not able to be there. Therefore, it was the vice-president of the Walloon government, Maxime Prévot, who opened the ceremony with a series of speeches. “This renovation project will let us take back the river”, he said. “It will allow Liège to shine outside of its borders, even more. What is good for Liège is good for Wallonia. The time of empires is over. Socio-economic development is done from urban metropolises”.
The Liège mayor, Willy Demeyer, said the work was part of a bigger project to develop the Guillemins-Boverie axis, along with the (ongoing) construction of a new gateway, the esplanade of the station, and the Boverie museum. “The quays unite several projects”, he said. “Our ambition is to develop another axis around Coronmeuse, Bavière and Bressoux-Droixhe”.
The work on the quays finished a few weeks ago, three months later than initially planned. It cost 30 million euros, 40% of which was subsidised by the European Structural Funds. The rest was paid by Wallonia. Only the 400 metre tunnel under the avenue Blonden has not yet been finished. The electro-mechanical elements still need to be completed. On Sunday afternoon, different activities took place on the new quays to allow residents to see them.
(Source: Belga)
