Leopold II tunnel in Brussels will be closed all summer
This weekend, the Leopold II tunnel – which links the tunnels of the inner ring around Brussels to the approaches to the motorway at Groot-Bijgaarden – will entirely close for two full months. The closure is expected to cause serious disruption to traffic in and out of the city despite being planned for the summer holiday period.
The tunnel has in recent years been in a dilapidated physical condition and so the works on the tunnel will take place during the summer months of 2018, 2019, and 2020 and will last 39 months. The works will include everything from structure, ventilation, emergency exits to the removal of asbestos.
The Leopold II tunnel sees some 80,000 car passengers a day, coming from East and West Flanders to work in Brussels, and then departing later for home. There are alternatives on offer for those who use the tunnel:
Public transport authority STIB will increase service between Rogier – at the beginning of the tunnel – to Simonis – at the entrance to the Elisabeth Park. Further services carry on to the end of the tunnel at the start of Avenue Charles-Quint. STIB is also providing a parking lot at the Heysel complex, with a link to the metro into the city, free between 0630 and 2200.
