An entirely new bridge over the Maas instead of the planned renovation of the old connection between Roosteren and Maaseik. After the extreme high water of last summer, it is even worse than expected.
Flemish MP Jo Brouns from Kinrooi is 300 percent sure that a new bridge will be built in a few years’ time. It will certainly not be a drama like the Maastricht – Hasselt tram line, which is now a headache file.
Flemish management
The bridge is completely under Flemish management because the Dutch government did not want to contribute to this connection between the two Limburgs at the end of the nineteenth century. In 1999, the importance of this bridge was once again made clear with the unveiling of a work of art that depicts the solidarity of the people of Limburg on both sides of the Meuse. But if the state of repair of the bridge were a reflection of the friendship between the two Limburgs, it would be in bad shape. That is why the Flemish government now wants a completely new bridge.
Study
The Flemish traffic minister Lydia Peeters has commissioned the Flemish Waterway to carry out a study into all possibilities, Rijkswaterstaat must be closely involved in this. They prefer to lay the bridge a little further south.
8 million
The Flemish government had already reserved 8 million for the renovation. There is still a lot to do. This also involves looking beyond the border.