No double tunnel under Brussels' Place Meiser

The Brussels government has scrapped its plans to dig a tunnel for road traffic under Place Meiser, writes De Standaard. The plans date from March 2013, when the Brussels government proposed to dig two tunnels beneath the square, one for cars and one for public transport. The tunnels were necessary, it was decided, to relieve some of the traffic congestion in and around the square.

The tunnel for cars will not materialise after all, announced minister-president of the Brussels-Capital Region, Rudi Vervoort and mobility minister Pascal Smet, following the results of a new study.

The new calculations show that while the tunnel would direct 40-50% of the traffic underground, the various intersections above ground would remain busy. Moreover, structural requirements would call for a strip of half a kilometer without a crossover for pedestrians.

Brussels is therefore scrapping the plans for the €160 million project. Minister Smet ensures that there are still plans for the creation of a separate tunnel for tram and metro under the square, and that the reconstruction will turn Boulevard Reyers into a “liveable city boulevard".