Antwerp: a new approach to mobility for the benefit of the City, its citizens and the Port

Deploying sustainable mobility is one of the ten goals set out in the AIVP 2030 Agenda. The European Civitas Portis initiative is an example of a project aimed at identifying solutions to achieve it. It is coordinated by Antwerp, and to get a better idea of the expected results, we spoke to Mr. Koen Kennis, vice mayor of the city of Antwerp, responsible for mobility. The City of Antwerp and the Port of Atnwerp are members of AIVP since 2008. AIVP – Can you briefly outline the main mobility issues for the City and Port of Antwerp, and the principal measures you have identified for tackling them? M. Koen Kennis, Vice Mayor for mobility – Antwerp hosts the second biggest port and the largest petrochemical cluster in Europe. The existing Antwerp ring road (R1) is part of the Transeuropean (TEN-T) core network. At present the loop of the R1 is not completed: in the north-west a part is missing. Due to insufficient capacity, the R1 faces structural congestions. As a result of its layout and the diversity of road users (transit and urban traffic, freight and passenger transport, etc.), the R1 is also confronted with persistent safety issues. In order to solve the bottlenecks and mobility problems in the Antwerp region, a third connection, the ‘Oosterweel link’, is of vital importance. The Oosterweel mobility infrastructure and the capping of the ring road are closely intertwined. The complete cap requires a clear mobility choice now. Even the first phase of the cap has to fit into a clear and cohesive plan for future traffic flows. A third Scheldt crossing will improve the city and the port’s accessibility and reduce congestion on the southern part of the ring road. The design will also unbundle transit and local traffic. Works started in 2019 and the Oosterweel connection will be in use from 2026. AIVP – Did you encounter any obstacles when creating the project? If so,…