De Groene Loper and A2 Tunnel
The city of Maastricht was once divided by the international A2 motorway, built in the late 1950s to connect Belgium and the Netherlands, stretching from the Belgian border to Amsterdam. In 2004, a tunnel project commenced to relocate motor traffic of the A2 underground as part of a large-scale transformation of the area in Maastricht affected by the motorway. The freed space above ground has been repurposed for green interventions, pedestrian and cycling traffic as part of the project “The Green Carpet” (De Groene Loper), selected in 2009. The Green Carpet is a six-meter-wide boulevard linking the eastern and western parts of the city. The tunnel project was completed in 2016, while the redevelopment of the above-ground area is still ongoing and expected to be completed by 2026.
Domain: Urban logistics
Type of initiative: Infrastructure
Main goals:
- Improving accessibility
- Increasing transport safety
- Improving health
Target practice: Commuting, leisure mobility, use of public space
Period: 2003 – 2026
Lead organizations: Rijkswaterstaat (Ministry of Instrastructure and Water Management), Province of Limburg, the municipalities of Maastricht and Meerssen – Municipality, regional public authority, national public authority
Type of funding institutions: Municipality, regional public authority, national public authority
Participatory process: No.