Project objectives

The project aims to:

• Improve traffic flow within the university area (reduce traffic congestion).
• Improve bus lines 71 and 95 (as regards traffic flow, reduced conflicts, stops layout, etc.).
• Redevelop “Cimetière d’Ixelles/Begraafplaats van Elsene”, ‘Thys” and “Gare d'Etterbeek/Etterbeek station” bus stops to meet the latest accessibility standards, as they are highly frequented stops.
• Create an efficient multimodal public transport hub around Etterbeek station.
• Improvie active modes of transport along these routes and towards the Fraiteur bridge.
• Boost and improve the bustling public spaces in this business, university and residential neighbourhood of Ixelles/Elsene.

Revamping the Fraiteur bridge

At the end of 2020, Infrabel concluded the total overhaul of the Fraiteur Bridge, increasing the road width from 8.20m to 14m. This project aimed to:

• Reduce through-traffic in the Boondael/Boondaal-University neighbourhood.
• Improve the efficiency and regularity of bus 71 as part of its upgrade to a BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) service.
• Ensure proper traffic conditions for pedestrians and cyclists using the Plaine-Solbosch inter-campus link.

Temporary restructuring

When the Fraiteur Bridge project was completed in January 2021, Brussels Mobility introduced a provisional reorganisation plan for a section of the project area. This aimed to draw preliminary conclusions that will contribute to the discussions on the redevelopment of the area.

This temporary restructuring plan tested some of the major elements considered for the project:

A bus + cycle (and taxi) lane with reduced traffic is created up to the junction with rue Thys/Thysstraat. As a result, traffic is strictly local between Fraiteur-Thys and Thys-Couronne/Kroon junctions, and much less dense than before between the Thys-Couronne/Kroon junction and the Cimetière d’Ixelles/Begraafplaats van Elsene roundabout.

On the refurbished bridge, the section overlooking Etterbeek station is now dedicated to pedestrians only (instead of being shared between pedestrians and cyclists).

What about STIB-MIVB?

We have also drawn up a proposal for the redevelopment of the bus stops “Gare d’Etterbeek/Etterbeek station” following the major reorganisation of bus lines (Bus Master Plan) in this area. This project will allow us to relocate the stops in order to meet the needs of the new bus line 72, which will come from Cimetière d’Ixelles/Begraafplaats van Elsene and turn left onto boulevard Général Jacques/Generaal Jacqueslaan. The relocation will also ensure a direct link with the new Etterbeek station exit planned by Infrabel as part of the redevelopment of the station. These new stops are intended to create a true multimodal hub with the SNCB-NMBS (Etterbeek station), the various existing and future bus lines, as well as the existing (on boulevard Général Jacques/Generaal Jacqueslaan) and future tram lines.

This project will also provide fully adapted and compliant facilities for the other stops in the area, such as Cimetière d’Ixelles/Begraafplaats van Elsene and Thys, which are currently ill-suited to this use.

These stops will be fitted out to meet the latest accessibility standards and will be of a high quality, considering how busy they are.

Finally, this project is in line with AVANTI studies, for the benefit of all public transport users by making lines 71 and 95 the most efficient, fast and regular lines on the network.

Impacted lines

• 71

  Delta - De Brouckère
• 72

  ULB - Adeps
• 95

  Grand-Place - Wiener