While the summer was chosen because of the lower volume of commuter traffic, the works will also affect traffic from Antwerp and Leuven towards the coast, and from East and West Flanders towards the Ardennes. Traffic from the north of Brussels going towards the coast will be forced to travel through the city to the Leopold II tunnel emerging at the Basilique, before joining the E40 at the Groot-Bijgaarden interchange.
On the first day, delays were reported to be “limited” – a maximum of 25 minutes during the morning rush hour, compared to the 45 minutes expected. A poll organised by Het Nieuwsblad showed one in five respondents planned to take Monday off to avoid problems. Nearly 70% planned to leave earlier or later for work.
According to the Flemish traffic centre, many commuters appear to have heeded the warnings and chosen alternative routes to work, some of which have been put online in map and video by the Flemish roads and traffic agency (AWV). That led to some problems on secondary roads, including the Van Praet junction, where the A12 enters Brussels, and the Reyers tunnel carrying traffic from Leuven and Liège to Brussels. Both black spots reported delays of up to an hour. The A12 itself, from Antwerp via Boom to Brussels, was completely blocked at places in both directions.
The major test was expected to be Monday’s evening rush-hour, as Flanders Today was going to press. Then the E19 junction with the Ring at Machelen will be closed, with traffic coming from the north of Brussels forced to follow a diversion.
While motoring organisation Touring predicted that the congestion could turn out to be less than on a normal weekday, given the driving public’s response to the wide-spread publicity, Flemish motorist’s association VAB, saw things differently. “The problems will be greater than ever before,” warned VAB’s Marc Van Damme. “The summer weather will bring out day-trippers. Many cars will overheat in the endless tailbacks and break down – a big problem since the hard shoulder is now closed. And forget about escape routes in the area because the secondary roads will be chock-full.”
Some companies have come up with novel solutions. Microsoft employees, whose HQ overlooks the Ring at Zaventem, have been advised to work from service stations along the way, and internet provider Telenet has agreed to open up its broadband in stations in Groot-Bijgaarden, Nivelles and Waarloos to allow them to work from 7.00 to 10.00, thus avoiding peak times. Others have made arrangements to allow staff to work from home.
Brussels Airport, meanwhile, is providing a shuttle bus for passengers coming from the direction of Antwerp to be dropped off at the end of the E19 and bussed to the Zaventem departure area. The service will run for at least three weeks and could be extended if there is demand, Brussels Airport Company said. The Vilvoorde viaduct is not the only traffic spot to avoid this summer. Until 26 August, both the Woluwe tunnel and the Meiser- Reyers tunnel, leading to Leuven, will be closed for repairs.
Flanders Today is a 
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