Specialist in electrical equipment and technical systems for transport infrastructure. Smart lighting, fire detection, EV charging infrastructure and tunnel safety systems — integration and commissioning by in-house teams.
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E42 Liège Tunnels — Fire Safety Upgrade & LED Relamping in Operation
Liège · Belgium — E42 (Cointe & Kinkempois tunnels)
GTA Infra, GTA Axyscom
Multi-phase project
Driving sustainable mobility
Securing northern Europe’s motorway — without ever closing it
The E42 corridor runs through Liège and is one of the busiest motorway arteries in northern Europe. The Cointe and Kinkempois tunnels, at the heart of this traffic flow, carried a major risk: bringing them up to fire safety standards had become a critical regulatory obligation. The challenge? Delivering this safety programme without interrupting traffic — hundreds of thousands of vehicles a week. GTA Group deployed two of its subsidiaries in operational synergy: GTA Infra, the tunnel and passive fire protection specialist, managed the installation of 70,000 m² of N2 boards, crack injection and acoustic panels; GTA Axyscom handled the electrical equipment and integrated technical systems. A comprehensive response, from engineering to delivery — with no subcontracting of key skills. Upstream, our integrated engineering & design office devoted 2,400 hours of engineering and design to analysing regulatory constraints, designing technical solutions and coordinating with the SPW Roads Directorate. This integrated engineering, rare in the sector, is what sets GTA Group apart: the same organisation designs and then delivers — guaranteeing full consistency between design studies and completed works.
This project shows the strength of GTA Group as an integrated mid-market leader: engineering + multi-subsidiary delivery on a critical structure — with no break in expertise and no loss of traceability.
Project sheet
Project owner
SPW — Service public de Wallonie / DGO1 (Walloon regional administration, Roads and Buildings directorate)
Location
Liège · Belgium — E42 (Cointe & Kinkempois tunnels)
Scope
Fire safety upgrade — twin-bore tunnels
PFP area
70,000 m²
Engineering & design office
2,400 h — GTA Group integrated engineering
Services
Constraint
Night-time works — under live traffic
Subsidiaries
GTA Infra, GTA Axyscom
GTA Infra · GTA Axyscom · Combined expertise
2,400 hours of engineering. 70,000 m² of passive fire protection. Nights of works on one of Europe’s busiest motorway corridors — without a single hour of traffic interruption. That is what designing and delivering with the same teams, end to end, really means.
GTA Infra + GTA Axyscom · E42 tunnels, Liège, Belgium
The project in figures
A large-scale technical programme on a high-traffic European route
70,000 m²
PFP boards installed
N2 passive fire protection — walls and vaults of the Cointe & Kinkempois tunnels
1 km
Crack injection
Structural treatment — sealing and consolidation of concrete walls
3,400 m²
Acoustic panels
Acoustic treatment — user comfort and regulatory compliance
2,400 h
Integrated engineering & design office
GTA Group engineering — design, regulatory coordination & works supervision
Performance & technical know-how
Fire safety upgrade — GTA Infra
- 70,000 m² of class N2 Passive Fire Protection (PFP) boards — walls, vaults and sidewalls
- Night-time works in tunnels under live motorway traffic — maximum logistics and safety organisation
- 1 km of structural crack injection — long-term treatment of concrete defects
- 3,400 m² of acoustic panels — lower noise levels and compliance with EN standards
- Constant coordination with the SPW and DGO1 — full site reporting and traceability
Working at night under live traffic demands flawless organisational engineering: every phase is timed, validated by the engineering & design office and delivered by in-house teams trained in the specific features of live underground structures.
Equipment & systems — GTA Axyscom
- Installation of the tunnels’ electrical equipment — power supply, cabling and integration
- Tunnel safety systems: fire detection, emergency lighting and signage
- Technical coordination with GTA Infra during the works — civil engineering / electrical interfaces
- Installations brought into compliance with Belgian (RW07) and European road tunnel standards
- Testing and acceptance of equipment in real conditions — tunnel in operation
The GTA Infra + GTA Axyscom synergy on this project demonstrates the value of the integrated mid-market leader model: a single organisation masters both passive protection and active equipment — ensuring technical consistency and fewer interfaces.
Project documentation
Photo gallery
Night works, fire protection and equipment — E42 tunnels, Liège
Expertise deployed
Subsidiaries involved in the project
Specialist in tunnels, underground structures and mobility infrastructure. Passive fire protection, finishing works, structural concrete repair and regulatory compliance — in-house teams, integrated engineering & design office, works under live traffic.
