Sint-Truiden (Brussels Morning newspaper) – The mayor of Sint-Truiden, Vandenhove stopped road work due to a lack of notice to residents. A new construction planning system starts Monday, March 17, 2025. Budget challenges persist despite necessary repairs to the abbey tower.
The mayor of Sint-Truiden, Vandenhove stopped work on a new bike path because the people who were building it didn’t tell the people who live and work nearby about it. There’s a rule that says they have to send a letter 5 days before they start work, but they didn’t do that. The mayor said that it’s important to follow the rules so that people aren’t surprised by construction.
The mayor would like to ensure that new developments in the city are conducted openly and fairly to all. He stated that the bike path is good for cyclists, but it has had issues in the past. Even though it’s been hard, the city still wants to finish the bike path. They want to make sure it gets done without bothering people too much.
“To avoid unnecessary inconvenience as much as possible, I expect contractors to adhere to the rules,”
Vandenhove says.
How will Sint-Truiden improve construction planning amid debt?
The mayor of Sint-Truiden, Vandenhove wants to make it easier to plan construction projects. He wants to create a calendar that shows all the projects that are planned for the next few months. He mentioned that this would help make sure that multiple projects don’t happen in the same neighbourhood at the same time.
The mayor hopes that this will make it easier for the city and the people who work on construction projects to coordinate their work. This will help prevent too many roads from being closed and businesses from being disrupted.
Sint-Truiden is starting a new system to plan construction projects next Monday, March 17, 2025. The mayor said he was surprised that the city didn’t have this system before. He said that many projects were approved in the past that caused problems because they happened in the same place. He mentioned that the new system will help the city plan projects better and make sure they are spread out across different neighbourhoods.
“I don’t understand why we as a city haven’t worked with such a system before,”
Says Vandenhove.
The city of Sint-Truiden will be adding information about the projects in the city newspaper. The mayor mentioned that this will help people know when and where projects are happening so they can be prepared for any disruptions. The city wants to be more open about its plans and make sure that the city’s infrastructure is well-maintained.
The city of Sint-Truiden is full of debt but still wishes to continue investing in building projects. The mayor informed that he does know it is going to be difficult to carry on doing that due to the debt, yet he does not wish to have to cease necessary projects. He said that the city will have to choose which projects are the most important and spend money on those.
The mayor also mentioned that they found out that the abbey tower and a gate are in worse shape than they thought, and they will need to be fixed. He said that they have to fix these things, but they will try to save money on other things. The mayor said that it will be a challenge to balance the city’s budget for the next 6 years.
