The Priory Eco-recreaduct

Ecoduct

Start of the works

10/2021

End of the works

03/2024

Region

Hoeilaart Eastern side

Project status

In progress

A new connection in the Sonian Forest

In future, walkers and cyclists will be able to use The Priory eco-recreaduct to ride or walk over the Ring from Groenendaal station to the Bosmuseum (Forest Museum Jan Van Ruusbroec) by means of the improved and widened recreational connection. This new bridge is safe and pleasant for the slower road user. The vegetation on the bridge expands the habitat for plants and small animals. They too will soon be crossing the Ring safely.

Working on the Ring connects

Although the Ring is often still an inconvenient barrier these days, the aim of De Werkvennootschap of the Government of Flanders is to reconnect areas inside and outside the Ring through the 'Working on the Ring' programme. In this way, fragmented nature areas are linked to each other again. Attractive areas for recreation, such as the Sonian Forest, will be made more accessible. This, too, is an important goal of Working on the Ring.

A study on the section of the Ring to the east of Brussels is currently under way. It will examine possible solutions for the four major traffic intersections. A few ‘quick wins’ have already been selected – these are projects that can be completed relatively rapidly, and that have outcomes benefitting the mobility and liveability of the surrounding area. The Priory eco-recreaduct is one of these wins.

Welcome gate to the Sonian Forest

The Government of Flanders Agency for Nature and Forests wants to develop Groenendaal into one of the central hubs where people can start and end their visits to the Sonian Forest. There is currently a link between the station and the Bosmuseum, but the present welcome gate is already too small to accommodate the number of people using the connection. In the light of the various initiatives in the neighbourhood, the pressure on this existing connection will only increase. We will solve this problem by building the eco-recreaduct. In this way, the Sonian Forest will be able to develop further in terms of its ecology, recreational offering and cultural history.

Work on The Priory eco-recreaduct starts in October 2021 and will take about a year and a half.

Embedded in its surroundings

Continuity and integration are central in the design of the eco-recreaduct. For the benefit of both its human and animal users and for the traffic passing underneath it, the eco-recreaduct has been designed so that it fits seamlessly into the existing environment.

That is why we use materials with a natural look such as wood, weatherproof steel and natural stone. This is so that the bridge’s users will not have crossing the Ring as their primary experience, but will instead enjoy a pleasant walk in nature.

Planning of and disruption by the works?

An alternative route for cyclists will be provided. This will allow them to continue to cross the Ring during the works. The entrance to the forest museum remains open at all times.

During the week of 25 October, the existing bridge south of the railway line was demolished.

You can find more information on the disruption and temporary diversions here

Safe cycling in the surrounding area

A new bicycle highway, the  F205 will be built along the Terhulpsesteenweg as part of the Working on the Ring project. This bicycle highway will provide a pleasant and direct cycle link between Hoeilaart and Brussels. Work is scheduled to start in 2022. In order to guarantee traffic flow on the bicycle highway, it will cross the Ring to the north of the railway line. This ensures that the route will not come into conflict with the recreational connection of the eco-recreaduct on the other side of the railway line. A new bicycle and pedestrian tunnel will be built between Groenendaal station and the new eco-recreaduct. This will link the bicycle highway to the Terhulpsesteenweg. 

Inhijsen brugdelen Ecorecreaduct De Priorij

Ecorecreaduct De Priorij overzicht

Temporary bicycle connection

 

Cyclists can make use of a temporary bicycle connection between Tumulidreef and the bicycle passage on the north side of the railway bridge. It runs along the end of Dubois Avenue and under the railway line to Terhulpensesteenweg (N275). Thus, crossing the Ring with bicycles remains possible via the north side of the railway and the new eco-recreaduct bridge will soon be built on the south side.

Communicatie

April 2023_Bewonersbrief hinderbrug_Ecorecreaduct De Priorij
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