On Friday morning, the speed was still limited to 50 km/h at the height of the Merksem viaduct in order to prevent a seal from suffering too much damage and having to be replaced in the near future. But according to Stefanie Nagels, spokesperson for the Flemish Agency for Roads and Traffic (Agentschap Wegen en Verkeer), this limitation was not respected and is no longer necessary. The speed limit is now raised to 70 km/h. “We continue to monitor the situation. There are also mobile speed cameras which have been ordered and will be there as soon as possible,” she added at the end of the day.
The condition of the bridge seems encouraging and the 50km/h speed limit is no longer necessary, according to the agency.
The Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency announced on Thursday evening that it had to carry out emergency repairs to a damaged bridge joint on the Merksem viaduct for the second time in a few weeks. The works then caused delays of 45 minutes.