Focus on the Redevelopment of the Northern Gateway to the City of Liège

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The City of Liège continues its transformation. Today, the Bressoux district is undergoing a spectacular redevelopment. The arrival of the new tram line, with its terminus hosting the Maintenance and Storage Centre and a park-and-ride (P+R), the construction of the new exhibition hall (Liège Expo), and now the inauguration of new transport infrastructures, have all taken shape in record time. Bureau greisch has had the opportunity to play an active role in these various projects and contribute to the transformation of the city’s northern entrance.

A new vision of mobility

From Maastricht, the E25 motorway historically ended at the Atlas Bridge, giving vehicles direct access into the city centre. This seemingly convenient arrangement was in fact an impermeable corridor, inaccessible from Droixhe and Bressoux, and typically characterised by (very) heavy traffic, marking the transition between a fast road and an urban hub. Duplicated by a stark service road (Avenue Georges Truffaut), this section also offered no access to the riverbank of the Meuse and had no landscape quality.

The boulevard inaugurated on Tuesday, September 30, is the culmination of years of reflection and construction work, aiming to push the “border” of Liège further north to the Monsin dam bridge (about 2 km upstream) and to provide comfort, multimodality, and biodiversity to the redesigned sector. The A25 and Avenue Georges Truffaut have now changed their appearance! To improve accessibility to the Bressoux district, new crossings and junctions have been built. This new approach ensures genuine traffic calming. The project also integrates considerations for soft mobility and connections to the Meuse.

Heavy goods vehicles, essential to the industrial activities of Droixhe, are now routed via Rue de Jupille thanks to a new grade-separated underpass. Previously a dead end, this avenue is now connected to the new boulevard, relieving the motorway interchange at the dam bridge, which was once saturated.

Towards Liège, a second junction (this time at grade) has been created at the new access road to the Bressoux park-and-ride (P+R), reinforcing the connection with the new tram line. This link is crucial to encouraging modal shift towards the tram at the city’s northern entrance.

Moreover, nearby entities (such as the village of Wandre) now benefit from a direct and safe soft mobility route to the city centre (cycling highway).

More information

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From motorway to suburban boulevard

The original zone consisted of a hydrocarbon platform approximately 30 m wide: 2 x 2 motorway lanes, two emergency lanes, and Avenue Georges Truffaut. It formed an impassable barrier between the Droixhe district and the Meuse.

This boundary has now been replaced by a suburban boulevard: 2 x 2 lanes for cars, flanked by two two-way cycle paths and sidewalks, with the remaining space dedicated to landscaping. This new distribution of transport modes, giving prominence to active mobility, enables the greening of the artery: tall trees of various species complemented by ground cover. The project also provides access to the riverside cycle path along the Meuse.

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Managing a critical point: traffic towards the industrial hub

The Jupille industrial hub generates significant heavy goods traffic, which had to be efficiently connected to the boulevard and to the new motorway terminus beyond the dam bridge. To ensure traffic fluidity, a signalised junction would not have sufficed, particularly during rush hours: the construction of an underpass was necessary to allow longitudinal and transverse flows to coexist. Two lanes (one in each direction) now use the underpass, guaranteeing the safety and efficiency of this road junction.

The structure of this engineering work was dictated by the nature of the soil, the proximity of the Meuse, and the presence of groundwater. With a length of 300 m and a maximum depth of 6 m, the underpass required the safe excavation of 14,000 m³ of earth. Traditional solutions (tiebacks or sheet piles) were incompatible with the constraints of utilities and available space to maintain traffic during construction. The chosen solution was secant piles. This watertight and self-supporting enclosure was complemented by a reinforced concrete counter-wall and an alveolar acoustic screen to reduce resonance and nuisance for local residents.

The new infrastructures are also used by RESA, which installed its medium-voltage cable network beneath the new cycle path.

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A green and human-scale gateway

Spaces have been redesigned to favour soft mobility and green areas while still accommodating both heavy and light road traffic. This landscape-oriented approach reshapes public space. The reduction of the maximum speed limit (now 50 km/h along the boulevard) is naturally induced by the road width, its transversal partitioning, the presence of tall vegetation, and human-scale signage. Liège now boasts a true northern gateway, heralding future qualitative developments in terms of both urban life and economic opportunities.

Project figures

2 km of motorway downgraded
50% reduction in car-dedicated space
Creation of two two-way cycle paths
Two new pedestrian sidewalks
A new underpass: 295 m long, 14,000 m³ of excavation, 740 secant piles of 88 and 63 cm in diameter
A new access road to the Bressoux tram P+R and the Liège International Fair (FIL)
228 trees planted
7,600 m² of ground cover and 3,960 m² of grassed surfaces

Project stakeholders

Client: Service public de Wallonie – Liège Roads Directorate
Architect: Canevas
Engineering office: Bureau greisch
Landscape architect: Du Paysage
Mobility consultant: Transitec
Safety coordination: PS2
Contractor: SM Galère – ABtech

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