A12 If the N1 is the ancient road between Brussels and Antwerp, and the A1 is the new - the A12 is the middle, forgotten child. Running west of Mechelen, through Boom and Wilrijk, the A12 is an on-and-off motorway constructed over the existing N177 road from 1968 to 1986. Because of it's construction over an existing road, the A12 features lengthy frontage roads on each side providing access to business, it's also got a great sunken section through Boom.
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Map
showing the location of the A12 through Flanders (click the thumbnail
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A12 Northbound |
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The A12 northbound before exit 8. The freeway is rather rural even through the large town of Willebroek. | |
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A reassurance sign. Because this road has no E-road designation (it used to be the E10), its A-road designation is signed. In Belgium, A-road signs are always omitted in favor of the E-road. | |
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Advance signage for the Willebroek-Noord exit features variable LCD signs. They warn drivers if the tunnel ahead is closed for any reason. | |
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More advance signage for the Willebroek-Noord exit. | |
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The exit speed limits are posted on the freeway mainline in Flanders, with an arrow indicating the speed is for the exit. This ramp is especially curved, and has a very low speed limit. | |
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The Willebroek-Noord exit puts drivers on to the old road, the N177. The N177 offers an aging bridge over the upcoming Rupel River, the A12 has a tunnel. | |
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Before the tunnel, more variable message signs. This stretch of road is very busy, and any delay in the tunnel can cause major traffic snarls. | |
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Another northbound reassurance sign for the A12, immediately followed by advance warning signs for the Boom exit - which is after the tunnel. | |
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The entrance to the tunnel under the Rupel River. Completed in 1982, the tunnel is 137 meters in length. | |
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This sign warns drivers, in a friendly way for those who do not speak Dutch, to keep their lights on. | |
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This advance sign is for the Boom exit, after the tunnel. | |
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After the Rupel Tunnel, the road enters the town of Boom. The town is fairly small, with only about 15,000 people - but the A12 cuts right through the centre of it. | |
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The freeway is 6 lanes and buried through the town, making it feel much larger and more urban than it actually is. Signs are posted to the vertical side walls, rather than overhead. | |
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Another view through Boom. | |
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The next exit is on the north end of Boom, and serves the towns of Schelle and Aartselaar. Aartselaar, to the east, is a large industrial and manufacturing area. | |
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The three lane section through Boom comes to an end at the north end of the sunken portion. Exit only lanes in Flanders are indicated with arrows painted on the pavemtn. | |
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The exit sign for the Schelle exit. The A12 through Boom lacks the familiar white exit advance warning signs that are so commong throughout the rest of the country. | |
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The sunken portion ends here, and the Schelle exit dumps traffic on to a frontage road separated from the main lanes by barriers only. | |
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The motorway portion comes to an end at the Schelle/Aartselaar exit crossroads. At this point, the N177 comes in and takes over the designation of the A12 while a surface street. | |
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The route designations through here are a bit confusing, and so are the signs. Another N177 "exit" after the intersection puts drivers on the frontage road. Antwerp is the control city. | |
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At the next traffic light, a very similar sign. This points drivers to the adjacent industrial areas. | |
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The third light, again with a diagrammatical sign showing Antwerpen as a control point. Because of the design of the road, with frontage roads and zero merge space, this area is a traffic nightmare at almost any time of day. | |
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The road ahead is signed through this area, as the N177 - instead of the A12. Belgium places A-road designations on motorway style roads only. | |
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The road enters the town of Wilrijk here, north of Aartselaar. Wilrijk is a southern suburb of Antwerp. | |
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At Wilrijk, the motorway begins again and the road regains it's A12 designation. This stretch was built from 1968-1970. | |
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Through Wilrijk, the A12 is still only two lanes with frontage roads, and barriers in betwee. Businesses line each side of the N177 to each side. | |
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The directional sign to the left points to Antwerp's very important port and harbour system. Many workers at the port commute from this area. | |
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Adding an additional lane, the road begins it's trip on a viaduct going over Antwerp's southern suburbs. | |
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The airport is the control point for the next exit, for the R11. Antwerp has three ring roads, and the R11 is the outermost. It is mostly an arterial with traffic lights, although there are a few flyovers. | |
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The A12 northbound entering Antwerp. It takes on a dense urban feel very quickly. | |
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Advance signage for the Antwerpen Ring. Each direction gets a number, 1 for clockwise and 2 for counter-clockwise. | |
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Antwerp is somewhat of a hub for transport traffic, and has a lot of traffic. Variable message signs like this one are placed around the city warning of traffic jams in various directions. | |
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The A12 splits here into two parts. Exiting will take drivers on a short spur freeway northeast to the ring road and to the north and east. | |
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Another split occurs when the N177 leaves the A12 finally and becomes a surface street into the city centre of Antwerp. | |
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Another view of the exit for the N177. The exit number is placed here but is accompanied by the word "uitrit" for exit, rare in Belgium. | |
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After the exit, the A12 begins it's descent into the Bevrijdingstunnel, which goes under some very old and dense residential areas. | |
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Like other tunnels in the Antwerp are, of which there are many, this one reminds drivers to keep their lights on. | |
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Another "keep your lights on" warning sign, right after the tunnel. | |
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The last exit on the A12 before it enters Antwerp, is for the Ring road, clockwise only. Going straight ahead will put drivers in the city centre. | |
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The A12/R1 interchange is sprawling, especially for European highway interchanges, and is fairly busy. | |
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Antwerp's residential towers come into view, as the A12 passes over the ring road. | |
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The A12 nears its end, with motorway end signs evident. The building in the background is the Antwerpen Law Courts, recently completed. | |
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The A12's end at a traffic light on the southwestern side of Antwerp. | |
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