“Finally”: In 2023 long-awaited study pull-through R8
In recent years, many serious accidents have occurred in the missing part of the Ringlaan.
“In the course of 2023, the Agency for Roads and Traffic will start a study on the extension of the R8 on the border of Kuurne with Kortrijk. An important file to increase road safety in the region,” says Flemish Minister of Mobility and Public Works Lydia Peeters.
The study examines the options for extending the R8. The length of the route is 1.7 km between the intersections of the Ringlaan with the Heirweg and the Ringlaan with the Kuurnsesteenweg/Kortrijksestraat. “Among other things, it is being investigated which roads should no longer connect directly to the R8. The intention is to separate through and local traffic from each other and thus increase the flow on the R8 and traffic safety on the parallel roads. We are therefore immediately investigating how these parallel roads can be arranged according to their local function. This means that active road users are being looked at, how they can get a comfortable and safe place on these roads,” says Minister Peeters.
Therefore, the following issues are investigated in the study:
• How and where the service roads on the new R8 are branched off
• How the intersecting roads with the R8 can be made uneven
• How the parallel roads (which now have the function of the R8), the cycle paths and the footpaths can be adapted for more local traffic
Shot in the case
Françis Benoit, mayor of Kuurne: “Thanks to minister Lydia Peeters, the R8 case is moving forward. This crossing is very important for our municipality but also for the region. This transition has been a necessity for decades. I am convinced that it will not only improve road safety, but also improve branding for the commercial heart of the R8. As well as better access to the business park.”
Ruth Vandenberghe, mayor of Kortrijk: “We are also very pleased in Kortrijk that a minister is finally tackling the black intersections in our region. The works for a safer connection between the R8 and A19 are now underway. But also the section between Heirweg and Kortrijksestraat can be much safer. The extension of the R8 should prevent such life-threatening situations.”
The specifications for the study will be placed on the market in the spring of 2023, after which a candidate will be selected as soon as possible to carry out the study. The implementation period of the study is estimated at 3 years, after award.