This month, the Brusselsesteenweg—Tervuren’s central spine—will be blocked not once but repeatedly, courtesy of a flurry of municipal decrees approved by the town’s leadership.
Between January 21 and January 27, multiple sections of the Brusselsesteenweg will be closed, narrowed, or made inaccessible to through traffic. Only “local traffic” will be allowed to pass—a familiar administrative category that, in practice, excludes most commuters and visitors.
Officially, the measures are necessary to carry out sewer repairs and new connections. The resulting traffic plan is detailed and far-reaching: one-way systems will be temporarily lifted, cyclists will be required to dismount, parking will be suspended, pedestrians redirected, and motorists sent on a lengthy detour through surrounding streets.
Residents may expect assurances that inconvenience will be kept to a minimum. But navigating the alternative routes—from Kerkstraat to Oppemstraat—is likely to test that promise. Emergency services, the municipality says, will retain access at all times, with procedures in place to reopen the road quickly if needed. Local businesses are also expected to remain reachable, despite the disruption.
The decisions were signed off by Mayor Thomas Geyns (Open VLD, Voor Tervuren). He earns just under €100,000 annually in his role as mayor, alongside his professional work as a lawyer. He was joined by the town’s aldermen, each of whom earns €59,882 a year, in approving the temporary measures.
As if repeated closures of the Brusselsesteenweg weren’t enough, Tervuren’s College of Mayor and Aldermen has approved yet another shutdown, this time fully closing the Karblokstraat from January 27 to January 30 to make room for a crane truck. The move, officially tied to building inspections at the De Linde complex, adds to a growing list of January road disruptions residents are being asked to absorb.
And from January 26 through February 27, the Vestenstraat will be subject to traffic changes to accommodate utility works commissioned by De Watergroep. During the phased works, two-way traffic will be replaced by one-way traffic toward the Brusselsesteenweg, with more parking bans, partial footpath closures, and signed detours in place.
The town decrees require contractors to inform residents and shopkeepers in Dutch via a written notice, ensure a permanently present Dutch-speaking staff member is on site.
For residents and drivers, the coming days will require patience and planning on one of the town’s busiest roads, clocking up over 1 million traffic movements per year on Telraam. Tervuren must balances essential infrastructure work with the challenge of keeping its busiest road moving.
