Belgium’s Agency for Roads and Traffic (AWV) imposed immediate lane restrictions late on 24 July 2026 after inspectors found structural damage to a cross-beam on the E19 bridge over the River Dijle at the Mechelen-Noord interchange. From midnight Friday, all southbound traffic toward Brussels has been funnelled into a single lane, with temporary markings to allow two narrowed lanes by Sunday morning once safety barriers are repositioned. The E19 is a critical artery linking the Port of Antwerp, Brussels Airport and the capital’s EU quarter. On a normal weekday it carries more than 53,000 vehicles toward Brussels, including a high concentration of international freight and commuter coaches. AWV has lowered the speed limit to 70 km/h and banned lorry overtaking, warning of “severe delays and lost time” throughout the peak summer-holiday weekend. While northbound traffic to Antwerp is unaffected, the closure of the R6 on-ramp at Mechelen-Noord forces local drivers to detour via Rumst, increasing volumes at that junction. The Flemish Traffic Centre recommends using the A12 as an alternative, though parallel works near Meise mean congestion may simply migrate there. Real-time updates are available via Verkeerscentrum’s website and ITS apps. For companies shuttling staff between Brussels and Antwerp or moving just-in-time goods from the port to pharmaceutical plants around the capital, journey-time buffers of at least 45 minutes are advisable until inspectors decide whether a full structural repair is required. If long-term works are needed, AWV may introduce contraflow systems or night-time closures that could persist into September, overlapping with planned runway-intersection repairs at Brussels Airport and rail engineering on the eastern ring. Mobility managers should notify travellers of the disruption, reroute airport transfers where possible and verify that time-sensitive deliveries—especially temperature-controlled consignments—are equipped with GPS tracking and contingency plans for driver hours-of-service limits.
