E17 / A14

The E17 (E3 until 1986) / A14 is an important north/south autosnelweg connecting Antwerp and it's port with Ghent and the french border near Lille. The road was placed third in importance on Belgium's 1950 road plan, and was completed by 1972. Recently, almost the entire route has been widened to at least 6 lanes.

 
 Map showing the location of the E17 / A14 through Flanders (click the thumbnail for a larger image)
 
E17 / A14 Northbound
  
Northbound immediately after the E40 interchange in Ghent, the freeway has a very wide right of way. The interchange has a complicated and lengthly C/D road system. The warning sign to the right tells of a truck height warning for the left two lanes. This view looks northbound on the CD roads, the main lanes are in the centre median.  
The first exit northbound after the E40 is listed as "U.Z. Gent", which stands for Universitair Ziekenhuis Gent, the area's largest hospital.  
The exit for the U.Z. Gent is located almost immediately before the split with the B401, a short spur freeway into the centre of Ghent. Americans will recognize the Louisiana style gantries through this area.  
At the exit, the motorway interchange signs appear. There is no access from exit 9 to the B401.  
The split between the E17 and the B401. Antwerp's very important harbor (listed with pier numbers) is indicated as a control point. Truck/Lorry traffic from Flanders and France uses this as an important route to the port.  
After the interchange with B401, the CD lanes merge with the main lanes. The road is 8 lanes, briefly.  
The next exit, number 10, serves Gentbrugge. A suburb of Ghent just to the east of the city centre. The neighborhood has a painted watertower visible for some distance, and hosts the stadium of the Belgian first league football club, AA Gent.  
Through Gentbrugge, the road passes through a fairly dense residential area and is bordered by decorative soundwalls on either side.  
The next motorway junction is with Ghent's ring road, the R4.  
The E17 passes over the Schelde river prior to the R4 interchange. The Schelde is an important river through northern Flanders, running through the centre of Antwerp.  
A reassurance sign just over the river bridge.  
The first diagrammatical interchange sign for the R4, after the Schelde bridge. This sign lists Ghent's ports and pier numbers as control points. Out-of-the-way Eeklo is a somewhat strange control city, Terneuzen or even Middelburg (via tunnel) may be better choices here.  
The motorway interchange indicator sign, at the E17 and the R4 northeast of Ghent.  
The exit for the R4 here is missing exit number signage. The interchange here was a originally a cloverleaf, but has been slowly upgraded throughout the 90s with better ramps.  
The freeway leaves the Ghent area after the R4, and becomes more pastoral with occassional windmills and grazing sheep. This mileage sign lists Antwerp as only 44 kilometers away, the road is extremely busy here.  
A standard kilometer marker after the R4 exit. The newer markers are red, older ones tend to be maroon.  
There is a large rest area about halfway between Ghent and Antwerp near Lokeren.  
A view of the road northbound, near Lokeren - along with a reassurance sign.  
Another view of the road near Lokeren. The surrounding farmfields are rarely separated from the freeway by hedges or fences in this rural area.  
This low lying area is fairly prone to fog. This sign tells drivers that during fog, cars must remain at least two ticks (marked on the pavement) behind the car ahead.  
This sign warns of dangerous conditions along this stretch of road. Like many rural busy motorways around Europe, this stretch is notable for a high accident rate.  
The next exit is for Lokeren, a large town of about 40,000 to the north of the E17.  
The N47 is a fairly important regional route which connects Lokeren with the E17 and Dendermonde, and eventually Asse near Brussels.  
The N47 exit for Dendermonde. The road has two exit ramps, as the interchange is a partial cloverleaf.  
The next exit serves the small community of Waasmunster, with a population of around 10,000.  
Before Waasmunster, the E17 passes through a small elevation and the area becomes more forested and dense.  
The Waasmunster exit also lists the community of Belsele, to the north, as a control point. The N446 is a short road connecting the N70 to the north with the N470 near Dendermonde.  
Sint-Niklaas is the largest town between Antwerp and Ghent, with about 70,000 inhabitants. The 3 exits for the city are combined into one single system, the first is number 14.  
Exit 14, for the the N41. The road serves additionally as a western bypass to Sint-Niklaas.  
The next interchange along the E17 is for the N16. This major road meets the motorway in a cloverleaf, and several large industrial parks surround the interchange.  
A muddy and dirtied reassurance shield sits forgotten to the side of the road at Sint-Niklaas.  
Exit 15 for the N16 southbound in Sint-Niklaas.  
   
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