2023-10-23 05:30:00
Coming from Place Cardinal Mercier in Jette, the tram rails stop abruptly at rue Léon Théodor. A thick layer of asphalt now covers the tracks on which line 19 ran more than a year ago. A memory that seems very distant.
For more than a year, the vast rail renewal project has been in full swing in this commercial artery. A project which is tearing apart the street, section following section, and which extends until 2024. At the end of October last year, the editorial team took the pulse of the traders. A year later, the irritated tone has visibly not changed. “It’s a disaster,” sighs Ercan Guclu, leaning on the blue and yellow barrier. Its chip shop, opened in 1995, is a reference in the neighborhood. But despite the reputation, the manager looks grim. “We lost a lot of traffic with the disappearance of the tram.”
Ercan Guclu, manager of La Frite Dorée in Jette. ©DRRue Léon Théodor, commerce asphyxiated by the construction site: “we feel neglected”
“Look for yourself,” says Ilir, one of his neighbors. The L.Théodor bar is empty. “When I opened, in 2021, it was full of people one morning like this. Everything was working fine. Then there was this construction site,” sighs the owner. “There are days when I spend €30. A good day now costs 80€ maximum. Fortunately there are games to keep you going.” One thing is certain: “if I had known that the site was going to be like this, I would not have moved here.”
Ilir, manager of the L. Théodor bar ©DR
Bonuses seen as insufficient
Opposite, the hairdresser Aabbass is also in low spirits. “It’s very difficult,” he confides. Bonuses ? Insufficient in his eyes. “We received €2,000 once. It’s already that. But what to do with that in the face of a project of this magnitude?”
Aabbass, hairdresser on rue Léon Theodor ©DR
In the street, some want to be a bit more optimistic. “Frankly, for us, it’s okay,” discreetly slips a trader in the middle of the work, but who prefers to remain anonymous as a form of “solidarity” with his neighbors. “Our customers are very loyal and continue to come despite everything.”
At the beginning of the street, at the corner of Place Cardinal Mercier, the Schievelavabo bar is full every evening. “We are less impacted given the location, that’s for sure, and we think of those who suffer more,” says manager Nicolas Henrotin. One aspect of the construction site, however, irritates the young tenant. “They put tar back in for the Annual Market… then they take it right out. On the environmental side, it’s limited.” Temporary asphalting, however, is defended by the authorities, who point out the advantages for traffic and opening up the neighborhood.
No delay, justifies the Stib
But in everyone’s mouth, the main criticism concerns the duration of the work. The first workers arrived at the beginning of 2022 and the project will not be finished until next year, namely 2024. “We hope to see the tram recirculate for the summer,” comments mayor Claire Vandevivere (Les Engagés). If this project, led by the Region and not the municipality, is long, there are no delays to be deplored, recall the agent and the Stib.
The reasons for the length can be explained, according to the transport company, by the multiplicity of interventions to be carried out: gas, electricity, tram rails and then redevelopment from facade to facade of the artery. “We understand that it’s complicated. We don’t do this lightly, but it was absolutely necessary to renovate the rails and the street. Tomorrow, we will have a renovated street with thousands of passers-by. This street will be able to come back to life,” hopes Vandevivere.
But in addition to the construction site itself, the future configuration of the street makes the traders we meet cringe. One point essentially: the drastic reduction in parking spaces. “For deliveries, it will really be a hassle,” a cafe owner tells us.
Works on rue Léon Théodor in Jette, the municipality offers a support committee to local residents and traders
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