The redevelopment of the Avenue des Croix de Feux concerns the 3 kilometre section of the middle ring road (R21) located between the Gros Tilleul roundabout and the canal to create a Parkway. The aim is to ensure the urban and environmental integration of this important road, to improve the living environment of local residents, while guaranteeing automobile accessibility.

This project is anchored in the philosophy of the Good Move regional mobility plan and meets the joint ambitions of the Region and the City of Brussels to restructure and requalify the axis in order to improve the living environment of the inhabitants of Neder-Over-Heembeek and to strengthen sustainable mobility.

The redevelopment will not be to the detriment of commuters and residents of the northern periphery of Brussels: traffic capacities will be preserved. The reductions in traffic speeds provided for in the project are compensated for by the removal of traffic lights. In terms of mobility, they will also benefit from a strengthened and secure cycle route which constitutes an important link in the RER cycle route connecting the cycle paths on the canal.

An important element is that the two directions of traffic are combined on the same road, Van Praet Avenue. This frees up large areas of green space. With the completion of the project, the residents of the Avenue des Croix du Feu will be able to open their windows and enjoy their terraces: they will find a path for walking instead of a busy through road.

This path forms a cordon linking the paths of the regional green promenade as well as a string of parks and green spaces: the Chinese Pavilion gardens, Laeken Park, Osseghem Park, the Neptune Fountain, the Royal Greenhouses and the Japanese Tower, etc. To enhance the path of the parkway, plots are planned on either side of the Chinese Pavilion park, at De Wand station and the Araucaria Avenue.

The project also includes the construction of an emblematic pedestrian-cyclist bridge to allow the parkway path to span the middle ring road.

As far as parking is concerned, the project is almost balanced, with a total loss of only about ten spaces. Spaces are lost in the unregulated areas around the car parks, while the redesign of the local roadway on Avenue des Croix du Feu makes it possible to find spaces for local residents and to compensate for the loss of 36 spaces on the R21.

The parkway project was designed and developed in conjunction with the new tram line 10 project carried out by the STIB. It makes it possible to eliminate a troublesome intersection between the new tram line and the road traffic linking the A12. It also provides exceptional comfort in terms of space, environment and accessibility for passengers at the Heembeek transfer point as well as for the other stops on the Avenue des Croix du Feu (Buissonnet and Araucaria).

As far as the other areas of the environment and urban planning are concerned, the project is intended to be exemplary in terms of the quality of the public space, safety, reduction of noise pollution, rainwater management, soil demineralisation, biodiversity, etc.