Work to renovate the Craeybeckx Tunnel that links the E19 Brussels to Antwerp motorway with the Antwerp Orbital Motorway will get underway this evening (Monday 19 August). For what will be almost a year the tunnel will be closed to traffic in one direction 5 nights a week from 9pm. Every night from Sunday to Thursday work will be carried out in the tunnel from 9pm until (at the very latest) 6am. The tunnel shaft that houses the Antwerp-bound carriageway of the road will be the first to be renovated.
Craeybeckx Tunnel in Antwerp to be closed in one direction 5 nights a week for almost a year due to renovation work
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The Tunnel first opened to traffic in 1981 and after 43 years the work is more than necessary. The work on the Antwerp-bound tunnel shaft will continue until February next year. Then work will commence on the Brussels-bound tunnel shaft. This should take until July 2025 to complete.
Stefanie Nagels of the Flemish Highways and Traffic Agency told VRT News that “The tunnel dates from 1981. We will be renewing the ventilation system and the high- and low-voltage cables. We are also installing sustainable LED lighting. The renovation should not only significantly reduce energy and maintenance costs, but also bring the tunnel up to the latest safety standards for road tunnels”.
In order to keep traffic disruption to a minimum, the work will only be carried out at night.
“When one of the tunnel shafts is closed, a diversion will be in place”, Stefanie Nagels told VRT News.