Pont L22 (‘Pont du Souvenir’) in Grâce-Hollogne, Belgium

The A42 motorway runs alongside Liège Airport and crosses several bridges, passing under just one: the ‘L22’ bridge. At first glance, it is clear that the bridge is no longer connected to anything on the north side; it ends at a building with a flight of steps, a situation that has existed since at least 1994. It therefore now serves only as a footbridge for a few airport workers who live in the Crotteux district of Grâce-Hollogne. The bridge could easily be demolished, as there is an underpass beneath the motorway 600 metres further on. However, no one in Belgium wants to see this bridge disappear because it is linked to the most notorious criminal case in the country’s history: the Dutroux affair.

On 24 June 1995, Julie Lejeune and Mélissa Russo, who were both aged seven, went to the bridge located 200 metres from the Russo family home to wave at passing cars. The motorists who later testified to having seen the girls were the last to see them alive. As the girls left the bridge to return home, a white van appeared: Marc Dutroux’s.

The consequences of this case were enormous in Belgium and abroad: the national gendarmerie was abolished in Belgium and Luxembourg and merged with the police; Child Focus was created (and also Alerte enlèvement in France);… Above all, however, the case left a deep mark on the entire Belgian population. The sites associated with the case continue to cause deep unease among Belgians to this day, who are torn between wanting them to disappear so that they can move on, and having a profound respect for the memory of the victims who suffered there. Although no one died there, the L22 bridge symbolically marks the spot where this national tragedy began.

Although redundant, there is no desire to see this bridge disappear (it is sometimes even nicknamed the ‘Bridge of Remembrance’). In order to give the bridge a new purpose, the Belgian motorway operator has installed ANPR cameras to read vehicle number plates and OBU detectors for the heavy goods vehicle toll. These small additions give the bridge a new lease of life and help to keep the memory of Julie Lejeune and Mélissa Russo alive. They had simply come onto the bridge to wave at the cars…