The city of Genk intends to permanently break up large sections of Evence Coppéelaan. The road will be transformed into a strategic, high-quality connection between the city centre, Genk railway station and the C-Mine cultural site. Half of the sections will be removed and replaced by more greenery and space for soft mobility. The project can be regarded as a precedent when it comes to desealing many oversized (concrete) roads in Flanders.
The project to deseal Evence Coppéelaan is the first implementation project in the context of an overarching master plan, involving a strategic redevelopment of the city centre. Besides mobility, the priority is also housing. The road connects residential areas and all kinds of facilities, such as schools, residential care centres and the city centre. Desealing Evence Coppéelaan thus demonstrates the ambition to make Genk an attractive, green residential city. A test set-up during Car Free Sunday gave a first impression of the potential of the traffic axis, which will be tackled in phases starting in 2022.