Agreement reached on widening of Brussels ring

The long-delayed widening of the northern part of the Brussels ring road can now move forward after an agreement between the Flemish government and an environmental organisation that has now withdrawn its opposition to the project.

Environmental organisation Dryade opposed the initial widening plan put forth back in 2011 that would add two additional lanes, citing the harmful effects of additional car traffic on the environment.

The dossier dragged on until 2017, when De Werkvennootschap, an entity within the Flemish government, was set up to tackle complex projects.

De Werkvennootschap went back to the drawing board and came up with a more modest project: one additional lane, instead of two, and numerous accompanying measures for public transport and additional bicycle bridges and ecoducts.

Dryade opposed the new plans, mainly because "they were based on outdated nitrogen dioxide values from 2013, rather than the stricter ones from 2022".

In order to avoid a long legal battle, Bruzz reports, De Werkvennootschap sat down with Dryade to reach an agreement.

Dryade’s director, Dries Verhaeghe, said the government agreed to "amend the permit application to bring it into line with the latest standards". The speed limit will also be reduced in certain places.

Currently, the speed on the Brussels ring road is limited to 100 km/h. In the future, this limit will be dynamic in the vicinity of nature reserves: the more nitrogen emitted at that moment, the lower the permitted speed.

Dryade is therefore withdrawing the appeal it filed to Belgium’s Council of State.

Marijn Struyf, De Werkvennootschap’s spokesperson, said which zones will see dynamic speed control still need to be determined, “but it will only apply near the green zones directly adjacent to the ring road, and where it is really necessary”.

The project to extend and redevelop the Brussels ring road is a major construction initiative led mainly by the Flemish region, aimed at modernising, widening and optimising the northern section of the ring road around the Belgian capital.

The extension is mainly intended to support the economic development of the northern suburbs (Brussels Airport and industrial areas).

Many elected representatives and associations, especially in Brussels, fear an increase in pollution and noise.

Consultations are sometimes difficult because most of the work is decided by Flanders, while many of the impacts directly affect the Brussels region.