Last year, the Brussels-Capital Region spent 3.2 million euros on resurfacing its 800 kilometers of regional roads, well below the region’s own targets. According to De Standaard and BRUZZ, the structural resurfacing program requires an annual budget of approximately 10 million euros to maintain the road network.

Every year, at least 10% of Brussels’ regional roads, excluding footpaths and cycle paths, are resurfaced. In 2022, approximately 11 million euros were spent on this, falling to 6.4 million euros in 2023.

Symptomatic

Last year, the budget fell to 3.2 million euros. For the current year, the resurfacing budget is estimated at around 4 million euros, which could be described as symptomatic of the region’s broader budgetary difficulties.

Outgoing Brussels Minister of Mobility and Public Works, Elke Van den Brandt (Groen), states that Brussels currently lacks sufficient funds to properly maintain its roads. She says that the endless government formation in Brussels “certainly has an impact on the situation.”

“Resources are limited. Brussels Mobility must make annual decisions. These primarily concern tunnel maintenance and major infrastructure works. It is also not the case that work on cycling infrastructure means there is less money left for other road works.”

Safety not compromised

However, the cabinet emphasizes that safety is not compromised. “Targeted interventions on small sections of road surface that are very problematic will continue. But due to the limited budget, rebuilding entire sections of road surface in one go will now have to wait more often.”

You can report potholes and other road surface defects in Brussels via the Fix My Street app or website. In 2023, almost 10,000 reports were submitted via Fix My Street, though many concerned litter or poorly maintained pavements. Nevertheless, in recent years, the region has also had to pay compensation to road users for accidents caused by poor road conditions.