On Monday 27 May 2024, all parties involved in the R4WO project gathered in Ghent for the official and festive start of the works. Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works and Flemish Minister for Finance and Budget spoke on the occasion, along with delegates from De Werkvennootschap, the BRAVO4 consortium, the city of Ghent and the municipalities of Evergem and Wachtebeke. BRAVO4 is now starting preparatory works on and alongside the R4 West and East, the ring road around the Ghent part of the port area of the (merger) port of North Sea Port. The works on the conversion itself will start in August 2025: 22 (intersection) points on and along the R4. According to the current schedule, the works will be completed by early 2031. The total project with a construction cost of €726 million focuses not only on bicycle and road traffic, but also on nature and landscape.
Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works reacts with satisfaction: ''This is the second largest active construction site in Flanders, after Oosterweel. The start of the works is therefore not only a milestone for the Ghent region but also for the whole of Flanders. This Public-Private Partnership will drastically improve the quality of life and mobility in the Ghent port area. In recent years, four quick wins have been achieved, including the turbo roundabout and three bicycle bridges. With the conversion of the R4, we are opting for safe and smooth mobility between the port, the residential areas and the surrounding areas and for bicycle safety. We are doing away with the unsafe intersections and are building unequal intersections so that cyclists and local traffic no longer cross with the fast and heavy traffic on the R4. The bicycle bridges and bicycle tunnels connect to separated bicycle paths and bicycle highways, which not only makes cycling much safer in the area, but also much more pleasant.”
Flemish Minister for Finance and Budget is also positive: “The construction cost of € 726 million (excluding VAT) for improved mobility and liveability on and around the R4 is substantial, but crucial for this area. Under the Public-Private Partnership, in which the Flemish government is working with the private consortium Bravo4, the private partner is responsible for the design, construction, financing and maintenance until 30 years after completion of the project. The Flemish government will then pay an availability fee to the private partner during those 30 years. This formula makes it possible to carry out large projects like this without putting too much pressure on our budget. Think, for example, of the A11 between Bruges and Westkapelle, which was also carried out as a PPP. I am very proud that we can still realise these types of large projects in Flanders.”
Creating a safer port area together
The new R4 will connect the environment, people and nature. The project will make traffic on the R4 smoother and safer, and the surrounding neighbourhoods quieter and more accessible. On the western side, it concerns the section of the R4 between the N9 in Wondelgem and the E34 in Zelzate, and on the eastern side from the 'Eurosilo' junction in Oostakker to Wachtebeke. With this conversion, the Flemish government is investing in smoother and safer road traffic with liveable residential areas and safe and comfortable cycle paths.
The project is a major investment (construction cost of € 726 million excl. VAT) in the liveability on and around the R4. In the future, the number of slip roads will be reduced and motorised traffic will drive smoothly from the North of Ghent to the Ghent port area, without encountering level intersections. New bridges, tunnels and underpasses will allow local traffic to pass under or over the R4. This ensures smoother traffic flow and less chance of dangerous situations between road users. It will also make the connection between residential areas on either side of the R4 a lot safer.
