Brussels ring traffic warning during mid-August roadworks

Lane closures and essential safety works on the Brussels ring will cause traffic delays and disruption from 17 to 24 August this year, drivers have been warned.

The Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen & Verkeer) has announced that it will replace the safety bumpers in the central reservation of the Brussels ring road between Quatre-Bras and the Léonard tunnel in Tervuren.

As a result, traffic on the clockwise ring road - from Zaventem towards Waterloo - will be seriously delayed for a week, while traffic on the anti-clockwise ring road, from Waterloo towards Zaventem, will experience serious disruption for two days.

“The existing safety bumpers are outdated and will be replaced by new ones that meet the most recent safety standards,” AWV spokesman Anton De Coster said.

“Enough space is needed to be able to carry out these works safely. Most of the work will be done in the evening and at night, because then an extra lane can be used, which is safer for the workers.

“Traffic on the clockwise ring road will have fewer lanes day and night from the evening of 17 August, around 20.30,” he added.

“Between the Quatre-Bras and Leonard tunnels, drivers will drive on two lanes instead of three, and in the tunnels on one lane instead of the usual two. One lane will also be closed in the run-up to the Quatre-Bras tunnel.

"On the outer ring road, two lanes will be closed in the evenings and at night from Sunday 17 August. On 19 and 20 August, only one lane will be in use during the day in the L&onard tunnel itself, and only two lanes between the Quatre-Bras and Léonard tunnels.”

The Flemish Traffic Centre expects significant disruption because of the works. For example, long queues are expected for a week on the clockwise ring road, going as far back as Wezembeek-Oppem or Sint-Stevens-Woluwe. Traffic on the anti-clockwise ring road will probably queue from Waterloo at busy times on 19 and 20 August. It is therefore recommended to use alternative routes.

Those who do take the Brussels ring road should take into account additional delays, and check the traffic information via the verkeerscentrum.be road traffic website before setting out.

Major renovation of the Brussels ring road tunnel began in April 2023. According to the current schedule, renovation of the two Léonard tunnels, the E411 and RO, will be completed by the end of 2025.

“The current project will then have lasted a total of two-and-a-half years,” said De Coster, which is “certainly not abnormally long for works of that size and complexity”.