Belgians make us laugh. Sometimes it’s bad faith on our part, sometimes it’s that they don’t do anything to avoid it. For example, when we talk about useless major works, an official name for major public projects that cost a fortune and are ultimately useless, we often talk about Belgium: it’s because our neighbors are somewhat specialists in the field. It’s their taste for the absurd, no doubt.
1. Works on the Brussels metro
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In the Brussels metro family, I ask for the Sainctelette ghost station, which has never been put into service. Next, I would like level minus 3 at Louise station, built to accommodate a line that has never been put into service; since I win, I continue with the minus 2 level of Saint-Guidon which also had to accommodate a line never built, as well as the two useless levels of the Botanique and Parc stations, then I continue with the 5 platforms of the Albert station built for an extension of line never realized.
2. Etterbeek Hospital
In 1982, the Belgian Minister of Health ordered the construction of the Etterbeek hospital, an ultra-modern facility which would close less than two years later following its merger with the Ixelles hospital. Indeed, the reception capacity of the hospital was simply too low. Smart.
3. The State Administrative City
It’s clearly my favourite. One day the Belgian State had the idea of building a HUGE complex to accommodate all the State administrations, no doubt for synergy purposes. We started the works in 58, then we finished them in 1983. Not all the administrations were relocated there, then anyway, 15 years later, move around, there’s nothing more to see, we close. Everything is abandoned. Money thrown out the windows.
4. The road tunnel between Fr. Rovveltplaats and Teniersplaats
The Belgians have built an entire tunnel in Antwerp to connect two important places. The only problem is that the tunnel in question was not high enough to allow buses and heavy goods vehicles to pass. Oh shit. I didn’t think so, you’re right. Alright, too bad.
5. The Smeerpijp
Under this funny name hides a huge pipe built between Genk and Antwerp, the purpose of which was to allow the evacuation of waste water from the chemical plants of Limburg to a wastewater treatment plant in Antwerp. We went all the way, with 107 km built and everything, but we finally decided that we were not going to put it into service. What matters is the path, not the goal.
6. Steenhuize-Wijnhuize Bridge
Here is the idea: we had to build a portion of the N42, to bypass the village of Wijnhuize between Grammont and Zottegem. This portion had to pass under another road, the N464, which therefore required the construction of a bridge. We did it. Only problem, we never built the new road. Suddenly, there is a bridge that crosses over nothing.
7. Le Rayon de Soleil hospital in Montigny-le-Tilleul
35,000 m² dedicated to care. 35,000 m² a few meters from another hospital. 35,000 m² disused after a few years and which are today at the heart of a story of corruption and embezzlement of public money. A real ray of sunshine. Especially since the place caught fire in 2017.
8. The useless road of Tihange
Imagine a road that was supposed to extend the N684 south, built and everything for 4 kilometers but never finished. At the end of the end, a cul-de-sac in the middle of the woods. Initially, the road was intended to allow rapid evacuation of residents in the event of an incident at the nearby nuclear power plant. Voila voila. Nuclear incident = dead end.
9. The Bertrix-Carignan train line
This line of 30 bollards cost absolute blindness and was ultimately only used… by the Germans during the first war and the Nazis (and nevertheless Germans) during the occupation. No, without dec. The rest of the time it carried only a few passengers and was finally closed at the end of the 60s. The Germans must have been happy in 18 and 40.
10. A Hingeon Bridge
There was a bridge over the RN80. But we thought we needed another one 200 meters away, from a small country road. So we built it, but not the extension of the road. The bridge therefore leads to a field. You have to be good at reversing to pull it off.