The 1.6 km E17 viaduct in Gentbrugge fully reopened to traffic at the start of October 2021, one month earlier than scheduled.

The viaduct dates back to the 1960s and was severely outdated. On top of the viaduct, we renovated the road surface, waterproofing, sound barriers and crash barriers. Underneath, we repaired the concrete structure, fitted the columns with cathodic protection and applied a protective coating. In addition, we also took care of the complete renovation of the bridge across the River Scheldt and the redevelopment of the Gentbrugge services.

During the renovation works, soundproofing measures were an important focal point. "Aside from new, higher and longer sound barriers, all 48 joints in the bridge surface were renovated using a silent PU joint filler. Some of these joints are recessed, meaning they are barely visible. As a result, the road surface continues almost uninterrupted, which makes it much more enjoyable for vehicles to drive on. We also opted to use silent asphalt.

The renovation works on the Gentbrugge viaduct started in the spring of 2020. The section in the direction of Kortrijk was tackled first, before moving on to the section heading towards Antwerp. That way, traffic could continue to move across the viaduct in both directions at all times.