Now also sinkhole on E17 in Waregem: “No causal connection with Tielt”

The sinkhole in Tielt has only just been closed, and a new one is emerging. Smaller indeed, but again due to outdated sewers under the road. The Agency for Roads and Traffic has closed the hard shoulder and the right lane at the height of the subsidence. A lot of freight traffic drives on that lane and it does not want to take the risk that the lane will collapse.

The repairs will take at least a week. During that period there is also a speed limit of 70 km per hour.

“No connection, could happen anywhere”

“There is no causal connection that two sinkholes have appeared in a week in Tielt and Waregem,” says Wendy Francken of Vlario, the umbrella body for the construction of water pipes and sewers in Flanders. “Our network is outdated, throughout Flanders. Many sewers were built after the Second World War or a little later. Until now, we had not mapped those sewers and we did not know where the risks were and where we had to intervene quickly. “

In the meantime, a plan has been drawn up by the Flemish Government to inspect all sewers in Flanders and add it to a dashboard. After that, it is up to the local authorities to tackle the high-risk areas. “In principle, a sinkhole can occur anywhere in Flanders. Of course, a whole process precedes the breaking of a sewer system. That is why it is important to map out the situations and act accordingly.”

Situation by municipality

The Vlario dashboard shows that 37 percent of the sewers in Waregem are high-risk pipes. In Tielt that is 56 percent.

You can view all sewerage networks per municipality here consult.