Houthalen-Helchteren (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – Lydia Peeters, Flemish Parliament member, is concerned about delays in the North-South connection project in Houthalen-Helchteren, as the new bidding process was starting in late 2024, potentially delaying work until 2027.
As VRT News reported, Flemish Parliament member Lydia Peeters is worried about possible delays in fixing the North-South connection in Houthalen-Helchteren, a municipality in the province of Limburg, Belgium. She said that only 1 group of contractors applied for the job, so the process was stopped.
Peeters explained that because there wasn’t much competition, they had to stop, which would cause big delays. The plan was to start building in 2026, but because of these problems, Peeters thinks it won’t start until 2027. She mentioned that this delay is a problem because it pushes back the improvements to the North-South connection, which is an important project for the area.
Is the Houthalen-Helchteren project facing major delays?
Peeters wants her colleagues from Limburg to work together to move the project forward. She says it’s important to make progress on this infrastructure. Minister for Mobility Annick De Ridder hasn’t said anything yet. The new bidding process is starting at the end of the year, and people are worried about how much further the project might be delayed.
In May 2024, a plan was made for fixing the North-South connection in Houthalen-Helchteren, and people could give their opinions until July 2024. Also, the process to choose a company for the project was approved. The public could share their thoughts to make sure everything was open and to get ideas.
But Lydia Peters, who works in the Flemish Parliament, is worried. She heard from someone she can’t name that the company-choosing process has stopped. She also heard that a new one won’t start until the end of the year. Peters is upset because this delay will probably cause big problems for the project.
After these concerns, Peters sent a written question to the Minister for Mobility, Annick De Ridder, who is part of the N-VA party. In her question, Peters asked about the status of the process to select a company and what the delay would mean.
Minister De Ridder replied, confirming that discussions were still in progress, which suggested that some advancements were being made despite the halted procedure. He mentioned that, however, the confirmation that a new procedure would start at the end of the year highlighted a significant delay in the process. This delay worried Peters because it could affect the timeline of the work and lead to more disruptions.
