2023-11-30 14:43:00
It has been three years since the Joyeuse Entry tunnel was “temporarily” closed, as indicated by the sign next to the dislocated barrier blocking the entrance. Now covered with dead leaves, the underpass which connects the Parc du Cinquantenaire to Rue de la Loi without passing through Schuman, was, as a reminder, condemned during the pandemic to allow the construction of corona cycle paths, in particular that of rue de la Loi. On advice from the police, it was necessary to reduce the number of flows in the tunnel.
Since 2020, a number of cars have passed through the Cinquantenaire hopper and many things have changed in the neighborhood. On the one hand, the cycle path taking a strip of rue de la Loi has been made permanent using a permanent border. Furthermore, the vast metamorphosis project of the Schuman roundabout has begun. Ultimately, there will no longer be a “roundabout” strictly speaking. The area will be almost entirely pedestrianized and car traffic will only be authorized between avenue de Cortenbergh and rue de la Loi. It will therefore no longer be possible to access Schuman by car from avenue d’Auderghem and rue Froissart.
If the work is expected to last until 2025, traffic restrictions are not long in coming: an already reduced lane in the roundabout, one less lane on avenue de Cortenbergh and soon work on avenue de la Joyeuse Ouverte. Which makes the mayor of Etterbeek fear that the queue will rise again. “If we do nothing, there will be chaos,” fears Vincent De Wolf (MR), who deplores an “ideological position.”
“There will be lines until the Hunt”
The liberal calls, once again, on Minister Elke Van den Brandt (Groen) to reopen the tunnel during the work. “If we don’t reopen this tunnel, there will be lines all the way to La Chasse and even beyond. This is not reasonnable. Let’s reopen for at least two years for the construction period. And, then, objectively, we take circulation measurements; we see if there are traffic jams, if opening the tunnel would help… But, we are not closing for dogmatic reasons.”
From the side of the regional authorities, the answers to the question of openness have, for years, been laconic. “We are currently evaluating the continued closure of the Joyeuse Ouverte tunnel (yes or no) in consultation with the police,” indicates Brussels Mobility.
A fear of the Etterbeek mayor: that the Region will refuse the opening due to a lack of maintenance. A position deemed dishonest by the liberal.
While awaiting the final decision, the tunnel remains lit day and night. And this, despite its indefinite closure…
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