2023-08-24 15:14:00
For 12 days, the work on the E42 between Houdeng and Manage caused many traffic jams. Logical since the coating of this section of highway, closed between August 12 and 24, has been completely redone. Completely ? No, like the famous Gallic village, a small section resisted the bulldozer invader, that of bridge 45 which is located just before the “La Louvière” exit towards Charleroi.
Indeed, while the coating, a real billiard table moreover, has been redone in depth on both sides of the bridge, on the bridge itself, there are still many holes and ruts that remain. This obviously did not escape the habitual users of the section. “For all users, it’s completely incoherent when we come out of 12 days of galley”, confided to us a motorist who lives in Besonrieux, a village strongly impacted by the various diversions. “For twelve days, our village was like a highway because motorists were diverted by their GPS in our village then literally cut in two with all the traffic problems that this could cause. All this so that in the end, we end up with a section of highway that has hardly changed on this bridge with its ruts and holes that make vehicles tremble. Wouldn’t it have been possible to carry out the same work on the portion of the bridge?”
On the side of Sofico, project manager of the site which will have cost the trifle of 2 million euros, this inconsistency is explained by the fact that, unlike the road, the bridge has a concrete structure and that the work whole will have to be completely rebuilt in the coming months. “Small repairs have been carried out on the surface of the existing holes, but the complete repair of the bridge, including the coating, will take much longer and it was impossible to fit it into the work carried out in the twelve days planned for this project. ”, confirmed SOFICO.
Four-year work in the other direction
Between 2015 and 2019bridge 34, which is in the same place but in the opposite direction, had hit the headlines and had also caused his share of traffic problems on this very busy road. At the time, various poorly anticipated technical problems, in particular during the operations of asbestos removal and reinforcement of the steel structure of the structure in the Namur-Mons direction, had delayed the progress of the work which seemed to have been “abandoned” for many years. many months. After four years of work instead of two, in May 2019, the work had finally been completed and traffic was able to resume towards Mons.
We can only hope that the work required to rebuild the bridge will take less time than that of Bridge 34. “The difference is that it will be a reconstruction and not a a repair, which should cause fewer problems”, we are assured by SOFICO.
While waiting for these new works, which are sure to cause traffic problems, you will still have to endure the ruts and other holes on the bridge for a while. In 2024, if all goes well, work could start… again.
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