Traffic woes for utility works hit Tervuren hard from 10 February. Additionally, commuters relying on tram 44 face inconvenience as Brussels public transport workers join a national strike on Thursday, February 13.
On Monday, February 10, and Tuesday, February 11, the Duisburgsesteenweg is closed, near the luxury Panquin apartments. That’s due to ongoing utility works. And fro,m February 10 to March 11, town hall has approved utility works and traffic restrictions on Vestenstraat, leading to the Brusselsesteenweg, further impacting unhappy rerouted motorists.
“We understand that your patience is being severely tested, but we must navigate these challenges together,” said Tervuren’s 29-year-old mayor, Thomas Geyns (OpenVLD, Voor Tervuren), in a Facebook message to his 2.2k followers.
The Duisburgsesteenweg, a critical artery into Tervuren, was first closed in June 2023. That followed a concerning crack in the center of the street, coinciding with foundation work for the Panquin site that will encompass a brasserie, 100 luxury apartments and a 100-room hotel. “Throughout this process, we’ve faced accusations of attempting to rebuild the entire road at the contractor’s expense,” Geyns told the last town council.
Further closures of the Duisburgsesteenweg are anticipated once substantive repair work begins. Efforts to restore the vital route through Tervuren have been overshadowed by legal disputes between the town hall and Panquin contractors. That stems from a road repair bill, with a figure of €279,000 quoted in 2024.
A lawyer himself, mayor Geyns admitted uncertainty about when these legal battles might conclude. And even more delays are expected due to the builders’ summer holiday period, which runs from July 7 to August 1 — a week longer than in other provinces.
Diverting traffic from the Duisburgsesteenweg has proven difficult. Heavy vehicles struggle to navigate Tervuren’s narrow streets, often encroaching on sidewalks. That causes both congestion and safety concerns. But town hall dismisses the idea of installing bollards to prevent lorries from using sidewalks. Town grandees cite potential disruption to traffic flow.
“Installing bollards wouldn’t solve the problem,” said former mayor Marc Charlier (N-VA). Charlier is now the alderman responsible for mobility. He advocates reducing parking spaces at critical street corners. “Vehicles need to make their turns,” he told town council.
Commuters rerouted via Diependal and the Brusselsesteenweg face further challenges from February 10 to March 11. Town hall has approved utility works on Vestenstraat, accompanied by one-way traffic restrictions.
Author: Dafydd ab Iago. © Article and photos are licensed © 2024 for https://facebook.com/tervurenplus under the Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International license.
Dafydd ab Iago
Editor