Retie (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The long-awaited reconstruction of Retie’s R18 ring road has been delayed again, frustrating residents who’ve awaited upgrades for over 25 years.
The application for an environmental permit has been withdrawn by the Roads and Traffic Agency (AWV) in order to fully examine the concerns.
For through traffic to move more easily, the ring road needs to be rebuilt.
“This is a disappointment, because it has been awaited for a very long time,” says `
Mayor Patrick Geuens (Nieuw Retie).
“That ring road dossier has been dragging on for 25 years,”
sighs Mayor Patrick Geuens.
“I was an alderman for 12 years and now mayor for 13 years, and we’ve been working on it for just as long.”
“We are almost there now. The utility lines had already been tackled, and now we suddenly hear that AWV has withdrawn the application for the environmental permit for the redevelopment due to the objections.
Now they are going to draw up new plans and submit a new application, but it is impossible to predict when that will happen.”
“In the meantime, something really needs to be done. The road is completely worn out and the cycle paths are no longer passable. They can’t leave it like this and I hope that AWV will provide a temporary solution.”
Together with the Retie municipality, Belgium, Aquafin, and the consulting firm, the Roads and Traffic Agency affirms that it will be starting over.
“A new study will be started and the recently received advice and concerns from the area will be taken into account as much as possible,”
it sounds. These include the impact on the greenery and water in the area, and the parking spaces that will disappear.
“We are also looking at whether certain pain points can already be addressed.”
The exact timing of both the new study path and any temporary interventions is not yet known, but AWV emphasizes that it hopes to be able to make a quick restart.
Geuens does not dare to believe that the new plan will come soon, and that makes him despondent.
“This postponement is not only bad news for Retie. We are here on E34 and the traffic coming from Dessel, Geel and Mol also benefits from the ring being realized as soon as possible.”
“We also have plans to renovate our city center,”
says Geuens.
“We wanted to do that after the ring road was built. But I don’t think we’re going to wait any longer.”
“There will be a lot of talk about this in Retie, you can be sure of that. This is really a big disappointment.”
What objections is the Roads and Traffic Agency reviewing for the Retie project?
Residents’ and stakeholders’ worries about the Retie Ring Road (R18) renovation project’s effects on the environment and traffic are the main focus of the Roads and Traffic Agency’s (AWV) evaluation of a number of objections.
Issues that need careful consideration before obtaining a permit, such as the project’s impact on nearby ecosystems, noise pollution, air quality, and landscape changes.
Objections pertaining to possible safety concerns, construction-related traffic jams, and altered traffic patterns, all of which may call for more traffic impact studies.
It’s possible that locals have voiced concerns about changes to the neighborhood’s character, property access, or interruptions to daily life.
