The planned renovation of the Vilvoorde viaduct will begin on Thursday and disruptions are set to continue until 2031 at the earliest.
At 1.7 kilometres long and 35 metres high, the viaduct was designed in the 1970s and opened to car traffic in 1978. Each day, roughly 150,000 vehicles use this road. The structure is now in poor condition, however, and renovations are needed.
The works will help reinforce the overall structure of the bridge, its load-bearing supports and the interior of the road infrastructure.
Workers aim to maintain traffic on the viaduct as much as possible, dividing the work into different phases. During each stage, only part of the bridge will be unusable and traffic will continue to flow in the other lane, with the speed limit reduced to 50 km/hour.
The first phase of work has just begun and will end at some point in 2025, with disruptions to Brussels' inner ring and traffic towards Zaventem. During the second phase, from spring 2026 to spring 2027, works will be moved to the outer ring. Phases three and four, from spring 2027 to the end of 2030, will cause the greatest inconvenience.
As a result of the renovations to the bridge, it is hoped that a fourth lane will be opened in each direction on the viaduct, improving traffic flow. The cost of the renovations is estimated at €435 million.
