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Eight towns want to cover 17km of ring road

17:00 08/12/2017

Eight municipalities in Brussels and the periphery have come forward as being in favour of enclosing the Brussels ring road between Waterloo and Wezembeek-Oppem. That would create a tunnel some 17 kilometres long.

The reason, Hoeilaart mayor Tim Vandeput told Het Laatste Nieuws, is to save the Sonian Forest from environmental degradation. The Sonian is protected Unesco world heritage because of its ancient beech trees.

The Sonian Forest famously crosses through all of Belgium’s three regions, and the distance of the ring road concerned also crosses through all three. The project even has a name – Silva Terra.

Eight municipalities are interested, including Kraainem, Auderghem and Watermael-Boitsfort. “Thousands of cars drive on this stretch of the ring road daily,” said Vandeput, “which has an extraordinarily negative impact on the flora and fauna in the Sonian Forest.”

The estimated cost of Silva Terra is €3 to €4 billion. “But money is no object,” said Vandeput. “If we want our children, our grandchildren, our plants and animals to live in a just and healthy world, then it’s time for immediate action.”

Photo courtesy Google

Written by Lisa Bradshaw

Comments

mikeparr

Asking the wrong questions - getting the wrong answers.
The problem is pollution generated by traffic: commuter traffic and trucks. The road is part of the north -south trans-Euro axes most of the trucks are on pan-Euro journeys.
Partial solution for trucks: move to CNG - no particulates, reduced NOX.
Partial solution for trucks: hydrogen (batts + fuel cell).
Total solution: move freight to rail (there - sorted).
Partial solution for cars: implement the RER (currently delayed)
Partial solution for cars: implement communal telework centres

The communes think that a tunnel would "get rid of the problem" - but would actually only address the symptoms (pollution). The problem needs to be resolved by the EU. Hmm - I wonder where their HQ is.

Dec 10, 2017 17:58
CC_R

I wonder why theu didnt look at this prior to spending billions already on a animal bridge i have no idea why yhat wasnt a yunnel project and the chaos that has caused is major cant imagine what this would cause. What they actullu need to look at is improving the public transport from some communes like overijse my choice very slow bus to metro-tram lines require driving through that forrest and parking or drive all the way

Dec 11, 2017 09:16