The Flemish government has reached an agreement on infrastructure investments related to mobility for the coming years. During the remaining years of the legislature, Flemish Minister of Mobility Annick De Ridder (N-VA) plans to allocate 2.2 billion euros per year for infrastructure to boost mobility.

Among the most important projects are the Limburg North-South Connection, the mobility plan around Ghent, and the works on the Brussels Ring. Money has also been freed up for the Zeebrugge locks, and Antwerp will get its much-discussed expensive bicycle bridge over the Scheldt.

‘Evenly spread across the provinces’

According to Minister De Ridder, mobility investments are evenly spread across the provinces. In the province of Limburg, the money primarily goes toward the realization of the North-South connection, including two tunnels under the N74 in Houthalen-Helchteren.

In total, between 2025 and 2040, € 1.4 billion will be allocated for the North-South connection. Furthermore, money will also be made available for the two HOV lines, or High-Quality Public Transport lines, special bus lines between Hasselt and Maasmechelen, and Hasselt and Maastricht, respectively.

In East Flanders, funds are being allocated to the Gentspoort project, which includes the construction of an additional ten kilometers of tramway and two car tunnels. Nine hundred forty million euros have been set aside for the project until 2040.

In Sint-Niklaas, the Eastern Tangent will be realized, worth 125 million euros, with a third slip road complex on the E17. West Flanders can count on money for the locks in Zeebrugge. The port will get a new lock, worth 3 billion euros between now and 2032, but the existing one will also be renovated, making the inner port accessible to large ships. A total of 3 billion euros will be invested in the Zeebrugge port over the next 15 years. Fifty million euros will also be allocated to safer bike paths in West Flanders.

In Flemish Brabant, the budget goes to the airport streetcar and significant works on the Brussels Ring Road. € 4.8 billion is planned for works on the Brussels Ring Road until 2040. Finally, in Antwerp, a bicycle bridge over the Scheldt is being built, although the money for this is coming from the Oosterweel Covering-over Fund. Every year, this is funded from the under-utilization of the budget of the Department of Mobility and Public Works.

The port will also be expanded, as part of the plan for Extra Container Handling Capacity, which is estimated to cost 150 million euros this year and is worth 2.9 billion euros, according to the business newspaper De Tijd. That expansion would enable the port to handle 7 million more containers annually in the future, in addition to the 15 million it currently handles.

Controversy over the new Scheldt Bridge

The most mediatized project is undoubtedly the new Scheldt Bridge for pedestrians and cyclists in Antwerp. Its cost is estimated to be around 250 million euros, but this figure is not yet finalized. Interested contractors may submit their dossiers until September.

According to Fietsersbond/Cyclists’ Union, the bridge will be open twice a day for at least 27 minutes for large ships, making the route unreliable for cyclists, as they want to know when they will arrive at their destination. The Cyclists’ Union also notes that the bridge will cost approximately 250 million euros, about the same amount that Flanders has allocated annually for all Flemish bike paths since 2019.

Another controversial choice is further investment in airport infrastructure, with 16 million euros for Deinze-Antwerp over the next two years and 9.5 million for Ostend this year. Both airports have been loss-making for years, while the former is already heavily financed by Flanders.

Lot of applications

The choices for infrastructure works were sensitive because the Minister received more than 7 billion euros in requests from local governments. Consequently, some projects inevitably fall out of the boat, such as Jean-Marie Dedecker’s new connection ‘Straight to the Sea’ in Middelkerke. Nor will the Bossuit-Kortrijk Canal be upgraded, a project that would have cost more than 1 billion euros.

That the express tram along the A12 has been scrapped was already known. “We are now commissioning a search for alternatives for sustainable mobility in Flemish Brabant,” the Minister told the Belga news agency.

Furthermore, the Minister points out that there will be a major catch-up on maintenance in particular, “because we have a big backlog there.” In other words, additional structural investments will be made to bring roads, tunnels, and bridges into better condition.

Apart from that, De Ridder does not think that her program prioritizes the car. “There are several road safety projects and several bicycle investments, which the local governments have proposed. And we are increasing the budget of the Bicycle Fund, a collaboration with the provinces, from 15 to 25 million euros.”

Critical opposition

The opposition is critical of the Flemish mobility investments. With the Integrated Investment Program, or GIP, Flanders is supposed to present a comprehensive plan for all mobility and infrastructure works over the next five years, but it is only drawn up for three years.

Moreover, according to Open Vld, too much money goes to the city of Antwerp. “All of Flanders may co-pay for the city of Antwerp. No Fleming will get to work faster. At the same time, so many municipalities can put a cross over ready-made and especially much-needed projects to make traffic smoother and safer for every road user,” said the liberal party.

Groen, in turn, feels that the plan lacks a clear vision for sustainable mobility, leaving climate goals to the left. The GIP also provides “far too few resources” for road safety. And there is no mention of a “modal shift” to lead people out of cars and onto public transport, the green party says. “This is not an investment plan, this is a rearview mirror,” the party denounces.