Above the viaduct of the E42|A27

This walk runs along the E24 or A27. Actually, the European road E42 from Dunkirk to Frankfurt consists of several national highways. We are here above the Belgian A27 which runs from Verviers to the south, towards the German border.

It took no less than 31 years, from 1964 to 1995, for the works on a stretch of just 61 kilometers to be fully completed. The enthusiasm of the 1960s was tempered by the economic crisis of the 1970s, the rise of the environmental movement, the bickering among politicians, and the technical challenge of bridging the deep valley of the Eau Rouge between Malmedy and Francorchamp. In the early years, everyone agreed that a connection from the German hinterland to Frankfurt with the port of Antwerp was necessary. Moreover, locally in the East Cantons, there was a belief that this would help to open up the region and stimulate tourism. Later, it would become clear that the traffic would never be able to cover the costs.

Jan Rymenams