Wallonia has allocated more than €400 million over five years to maintain its bridges and other engineering structures, and while about 40 structures with serious defects remain open to traffic, they are still safe to use.
This update came from Walloon Infrastructure Minister François Desquesnes, following an investigative report by the French-language radio and TV channel, RTBF, which stated that some bridges with major defects were still in service.
Wallonia manages 5,661 engineering structures, including bridges, tunnels and viaducts. Speaking on Monday in a regional parliamentary committee, Desquesnes confirmed that around 40 of them have very serious defects.
He said, however, that this does not mean those bridges are unsafe for traffic. Bridges considered dangerous are closed, while those presenting a risk are subject to weight restrictions.
According to the minister, other bridges may have structural defects so severe that repairs would in most cases require complete replacement, but the administration still considers them fit for use. If that were not the case, he said, they would either be closed or subject to restrictions.
Wallonia released €57 million for engineering infrastructure in 2025 and €72 million this year, while planned annual spending will rise to €88 million in 2027, 2028 and 2029.
Desquesnes said the strategy was designed to keep the overall condition of Wallonia’s engineering structures from deteriorating further. Given the state of the network, he said, 75% of the budget should go to corrective work.
A further 20% is to be spent on temporary or mitigating repairs aimed at extending the lifespan of bridges that will ultimately need to be replaced.
The remaining 5% will go to preventive work, which, the minister said is the scenario the government has adopted.
