Why did one blocked lane cause a 45-minute queue on Antwerp’s Ring?
A crash blocked the right-hand lane of Antwerp’s R1 near Deurne on 24 August, creating a 45-minute queue from Antwerpen-West for traffic heading towards the Netherlands.
En 30 secondes
- A collision blocked the right-hand lane of the R1 near Deurne.
- Traffic towards the Netherlands faced a reported 45-minute delay from Antwerpen-West.
- The precise cause, number of vehicles and any injuries were not reported.
- The R1 around Deurne is operating with altered layouts during Oosterweel-related construction.
A traffic collision blocked the right-hand lane of ’s R1 near on 24 August, leaving drivers heading towards the Netherlands with a delay of about 45 minutes from Antwerpen-West. HLN reported the obstruction and queue, but the available incident report did not identify the vehicles involved, disclose any injuries or establish when the road became fully clear.
For people travelling between the Scheldt’s left bank, central Antwerp, the northern suburbs and the Dutch border, the disruption affected one of Belgium’s most important road corridors. The outside Ring carries local commuters alongside international freight and other through-traffic bound for the E19 towards Breda and Rotterdam. A single blocked lane at Deurne can therefore send delays far beyond the immediate scene, particularly when traffic is already concentrated on the same route.
The location also matters because the R1 is operating amid the long transformation associated with the Oosterweel project. The Flemish Traffic Centre says the traffic layout between Deurne and Antwerpen-Oost has changed while Lantis builds a shortcut and a new Deurne access road. Its current works notice lists three lanes as available on that section, while other nearby stretches have reduced or narrowed capacity. That does not establish that construction caused this crash or the resulting queue. It does, however, describe a road system with less room than usual to absorb an unexpected obstruction.
Belgium-based travellers should distinguish the reported collision from the planned works. The accident was the immediate reason a lane was blocked; Oosterweel is the broader operating environment. According to the Flemish Roads and Traffic Agency, Lantis is constructing a temporary bypass on the eastern side of the Ring between Antwerpen-Oost and Antwerpen-Noord. The bypass is intended to carry traffic while the Merksem viaduct is removed and the northern Ring is lowered. In the direction of the Netherlands, it will have three lanes, one fewer than the earlier configuration described by the agency, and a 70-kilometre-per-hour limit.
The competing priorities are unusually visible here. The , Lantis and the City of Antwerp present Oosterweel as a way to complete the Ring, improve safety and reconnect neighbourhoods through tunnels, lowered roads and new green space. Port of Antwerp-Bruges, looking through the lens of companies, customers and workers, stresses that reliable access must be preserved while this infrastructure is built. Its mobility guidance says the port coordinates roadworks information with Lantis and the Roads and Traffic Agency and encourages night logistics to spread truck movements beyond peak periods.
Those positions are not direct disagreements about the collision. They reflect different tests of success: the public project partners emphasise long-term mobility and urban liveability, while port users need predictable journey times during years of construction. Residents of Deurne and Merksem have a further interest in preventing motorway traffic from diverting into residential streets. The Roads and Traffic Agency says the temporary bypass is specifically designed to keep traffic on the main road during the works.
Où cela se passe
Voir sur la carte Antwerp →The international dimension is practical rather than institutional. The affected carriageway leads north towards the Belgian-Dutch border and the E19 corridor; no EU body was responsible for managing the incident, and no Belgian or EU political response was reported. Brussels’ role as the seat of EU institutions is not relevant to this local traffic event. The cross-border significance comes instead from Antwerp’s position as a European logistics hub and the road links connecting its port with the Netherlands and the wider hinterland.
Drivers should continue to consult the Flemish Traffic Centre and Slim naar Antwerpen before using the R1, because lane availability and work phases can change. The immediate unknowns remain basic but important: whether anyone was injured, what caused the collision, how many vehicles were involved and exactly when normal traffic resumed. Without confirmation from police or the traffic authorities, no firmer conclusion should be drawn.
What to do
If travelling around Antwerp towards the Netherlands, check the Flemish Traffic Centre before departure and allow extra time when a lane is blocked near Deurne. The reported disruption on 24 August added 45 minutes from Antwerpen-West, showing that even a single blocked lane can materially affect journey times. Freight operators and port-related travellers should also consult the Port of Antwerp-Bruges roadworks information. Expect altered layouts around Deurne during Oosterweel construction, follow temporary signs and avoid assuming that a familiar access route remains unchanged. No ongoing closure from this collision was reported.
Impact
Regional — The main impact fell on Antwerp and its northern approaches. Slow traffic also raised the risk of diversion through Deurne and other nearby districts, although no measured increase in neighbourhood traffic was reported.
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Voix & réactions
What the main actors are doing
Reported positions, summarised — not direct quotationsFlemish government, Lantis and Antwerp city partners
The public project partners frame the Oosterweel transformation as a long-term mobility and liveability investment: completing the Ring, placing sections below ground, improving road safety and creating green links between neighbourhoods.
Port of Antwerp-Bruges and road-based logistics users
The port’s framing gives greater weight to continuity and predictability during construction. It stresses access for companies, customers and workers, coordinated roadworks information and measures such as night logistics to distribute truck traffic more evenly.
Residents of Deurne and Merksem
Neighbourhood communities have an interest in preventing congestion from spilling into residential streets. Official project material reflects that concern by presenting the temporary bypass as a way to keep motorway traffic out of Deurne and Merksem during major works.
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