Antwerp roads prioritised for upgrading to accommodate military traffic
The R2, R1, A12 and E313 roads in Antwerp are the roads that need to be adapted quickly for heavy military transport, Flemish Mobility minister Annick De Ridder said on Friday. The minister is relying on European money to fund the works.
The West-Flemish section of the N49, which links Antwerp with the Belgian coast, will be upgraded for military transport. The roads around Antwerp are next on the list, De Ridder told the Flemish parliament on Friday. They are important, for example, for transporting military equipment from the city's port to Germany.
The corridor from the port of Waasland via the Antwerp Ring and the E313 is a hotspot, according to the minister. This motorway connects Antwerp with Liège. The route also includes three tunnels that may have to be tackled: the Beverentunnel, the Liefkenshoektunnel and the Tijsmanstunnel.
Flanders is counting on European money to carry out the renovations, said De Ridder. "We hope that the Commission will financially support this investment programme so that the corridor can be developed in an integrated and accelerated way," she said on Friday.
No European funds until 2028
But Flanders will have to wait until at least 2028 for this money. Last month, a report by the European Court of Auditors found that the 1.7 billion euros earmarked in the current multiannual budget (2021 to 2027) to boost Europe's military mobility had already been spent by the end of 2023.
The amount for dual-use infrastructure projects (military and civilian transport) was already "relatively modest", the auditors said, and the European Commission decided to allocate the money quickly. "Demand far outstripped supply, so there was no money left by the end of 2023," they said at the time.
The auditors also criticised the Commission's way of managing infrastructure projects. The processes were too "complex" and "fragmented", they said, and the financing of projects did not take sufficient account of geopolitical military factors.
#FlandersNewsService | © BELGA PHOTO JONAS ROOSENS
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