Brussels Mobility: closing five ‘redundant’ tunnels saves €100 million

The closure of five Brussels car tunnels by 2030, including two on Avenue Louise and two on the central ring road, would save 100 million euros in the long run and have no major impact on mobility.

This is according to a cost-benefit analysis of Brussels tunnels commissioned by Brussels Mobility and reported by the Brussels news site Bruzz and the newspaper Le Soir. The study will be presented Monday at the Good Move forum, a consultation on the regional mobility plan.

Poor state tunnels

The tunnels considered for closure by 2030 are the Vleurgat and Bailiff Tunnels on Avenue Louise, Boileau, and Georges Henri on the central ring road and the Woluwe Tunnel on Boulevard de la Woluwe.

Closing the five shorter tunnels, all in a poor state, would save about 60 million euros. Closing the Bailiff Tunnel alone would easily save more than 40 million euros. According to the study, the Woluwe Tunnel also has little added value, and closing it would save the region nearly 16 million euros.

Small impact on traffic

According to the researchers, the impact of the closure on the flow of car traffic would also be small in each case, read: a few minutes of lost driving time. And public space would benefit, as would the traffic comfort of other modes of transport.

The cost-benefit analysis commissioned by Brussels Mobility, in collaboration with study firms Stratec and Espaces Mobilités, also shows that keeping the longest tunnels open both before and after 2030 is better.

However, the study recommends that other tunnels, such as the Madou Tunnel, the Arts-Loi Tunnel, the Porte de Namur Tunnel, and the Tervuren Tunnel, be closed after 2030. This would also save money and have a relatively limited impact on car traffic.

29 tunnels

According to Le Soir, the study recognizes the imprint of the Good Move values: more car-free neighborhoods, reduced through-traffic, strengthened infrastructure for the benefit of vulnerable road users, and improved quality of public space; in short, continuing the evolution toward a more pleasant, accessible city.

The discussion about the poor condition of Brussels tunnels and the related renovation costs is a recurring item. In 2016, for example, after several incidents in Brussels tunnels due to overdue maintenance, Brussels Minister-President Rudi Vervoort already floated the idea that long-term alternatives should be considered, such as “some tunnels should disappear at some point.”

The majority of Brussels tunnels were built in the 1970s and 1980s or even earlier. Renovating them is quite expensive. The recent renovation of the Annie Cordy Tunnel, for example, cost 500 million euros.

Currently, the Quatre Bras Tunnel and the Leonard Tunnel are getting renovations, but in the coming years, four more tunnels will be completely renovated. Next year, the Loi and Belliard Tunnels will undergo a three-year renovation, which is estimated to cost about 161 million euros.

Brussels has 29 tunnels for a total of 12 kilometers.