This weekend, major works will be carried out on the Antwerp Ring towards the Netherlands. A bridge joint on the Merksem viaduct is in poor condition and in urgent need of repair. Between the exits Deurne and Merksem, traffic must pass over one lane. The Liefkenshoek tunnel has been made toll-free.
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Last week, the Roads and Traffic Agency (AWV) determined that one of the bridge joints on the Merksem viaduct towards the Netherlands was seriously damaged. To prevent further damage, it was already decided last weekend to introduce a speed limit of 50 km/h on the viaduct.
However, many drivers did not adhere to the speed limit. A new inspection showed that the damage to the bridge joint had become even worse. An emergency repair was already carried out on Wednesday, to bridge the time until the weekend. During those works, only one lane was available for an hour, resulting in long traffic jams.
The final repair will take place this weekend. From Saturday 6 am to Sunday night, three lanes will again be closed in the direction of the Netherlands. Traffic therefore has to pass through the construction zone again on one lane.
The Traffic Center therefore warns of serious nuisance. Possibly even as early as 7 a.m. ‘The Merksem viaduct is one of the busiest stretches of highway in Belgium. At that location, one lane is absolutely insufficient to allow all traffic to pass,” said spokesman Peter Bruyninckx of the Flemish Traffic Center.
On an average Saturday in 2019, the last non-corona year, 76,000 vehicles drove over the viaduct towards the Netherlands. On Sunday, that average was slightly lower, with still 68,000 vehicles. “In any case, the works will cause traffic jams, not only on the Antwerp Ring, but possibly also on the upcoming highways such as the E17, E19, A12 and E313,” says Bruyninckx.
That is why the Traffic Center strongly asks to avoid the Ring towards the Netherlands and to drive via the northern part of the Ring towards the Netherlands. The Liefkenshoek tunnel has already been made toll-free. There will be no work on the Ring in the direction of Ghent and all lanes will remain available.
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