Expatica news

Traffic delays as Brussels ring road subsides

30 June 2005

BRUSSELS — A section of the ring road around Brussels subsided on Thursday morning at the Vilvoorde viaduct, leading to expected traffic delays.

A large hole opened up in the connecting ramp to the E19 motorway on the Groot-Bijgaarden-bound lanes, forcing authorities to close the emergency and right-hand lane of the motorway.

A federal police spokesman said motorists traveling on the E19 can still enter the ring road, but the merging lane is partially blocked. “The consequence is that motorists need to merge a bit earlier onto the ring,” he said.

Police suspect the problem will affect traffic for much of the day, leading to delays. Traffic was starting to build up by 8.30am on the E19 from Mechelen-Zuid and on the ring road at Wezembeek-Oppem.

The road subsidence is probably due to the flooding caused by Wednesday’s heavy storm. A waste water catchment flooded on the Henneaulaan in Zaventem, close to the ring road, and various lakes at Kraainem also flooded.

The water could also have caused the ground underneath the ring road to subside, newspaper ‘De Tijd’ reported.

Problems across Walloon and Flanders were reported on Tuesday night and Wednesday as the recent heatwave was transformed into severe thunderstorms.

[Copyright Expatica News 2005]

Subject: Belgian news