From midnight on Friday until around 7pm on Sunday the junction of the southbound A12 Bergen-op-Zoom (The Netherlands) to Antwerp motorway and the Antwerp Orbital Motorway at Ekeren (Antwerp) will be closed to traffic. This is to allow for thje installation of a site bridge over the A12. The closure of the intersection is likely to cause a lot of traffic congestion in the north of Antwerp, particularly on Saturday.
Extra congestion expected on the Antwerp Orbital Motorway this week due to the installation of a new bridge over the A12
Published:
During most of the forthcoming weekend, traffic heading south on the A12 will be unable to join the Antwerp Orbital Motorway at the Antwerp North intersection. This is due to the installation of a site bridge over the A12. The bridge is part of the Oosterweel Link project. Lantis, the company that is coordinating work on the Oosterweel Link calls on motorists to avoid the area if possible. On Saturday in particular congestion is expected as many shoppers as possible from areas to the north of Antwerp head for the shops.
Motorists using the A12 that wish to go to the centre of Antwerp can still use the Ekeren intersection and drive into town via the Noorderlaan. However, this route is likely to be heavily congested. Those wishing to travel further than Antwerp (for example to Ghent) can use the Liefkenshoek toll tunnel for free between 8am and 8pm. With many motorists seeking alternative routes, it is likely to be very busy at the Kleine Bareel intersection between the E19 and the Orbital Motorway.
Why is the work necessary?
During the closure, Lantis will installing a new site bridge over the A12 motorway. The bridge is part of the network of site roads that trucks will use during the construction of the Oosterweel Link.
The construction site bridge over the A12 connects the Temporary Storage Site (TOP) located at the Antwerp-North interchange with construction sites located along the Antwerp Orbital. Thanks to this network of site roads, Lantis prevents construction site traffic taking up space on the already heavily congested road network around Antwerp.