The Brussels Ring numbered R0, is a ring road surrounding the city of Brussels

Brussels

Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...

 as well as other smaller towns south of Brussels. The road is a circular highway road of about 75 km with 2 to 3 lanes in each direction. It crosses the 3 regions of Belgium: Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

, Brussels and Wallonia.

The first sections of the road were built in the late 1950s

1950s

The 1950s or The Fifties was the decade that began on January 1, 1950 and ended on December 31, 1959. The decade was the sixth decade of the 20th century...

, but the main part was built during the 1970s

1970s

File:1970s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: US President Richard Nixon doing the V for Victory sign after his resignation from office after the Watergate scandal in 1974; Refugees aboard a US naval boat after the Fall of Saigon, leading to the end of the Vietnam War in 1975; The 1973 oil...

, with the end of the construction in 1978. The Brussels Ring has interchanges

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

 with the European routes E40

European route E40

European route E 40 is the longest European route, more than long, connecting Calais in France via Belgium, Germany, Poland, Ukraine, Russia, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, and Kyrgyzstan, with Ridder in Kazakhstan near the border to China....

 (once at the Groot-Bijgaarden interchange and once at the Sint-Stevens-Woluwe interchange), E19

European route E19

European route E 19 is long European route. Its route begins in the Netherlands, and ends in France, via Belgium. Cities it passes en route include:* Netherlands: Amsterdam - Den Haag - Rijswijk - Rotterdam - Breda...

 (once at the Machelen interchange and once at the Ittre interchange), E411

European route E411

European route E411 is a European route in Belgium connecting Brussels to Aubange, a town at the border between Belgium, France and Luxembourg via Namur and Arlon. The E411 starts in the municipality of Auderghem along the Beaulieu metro station, crosses the municipality on a viaduct, then crosses...

 (at the Leonard crossroad) and E429 (at the Halle interchange). It has also interchanges with national highways A12

A12 road (Belgium)

The A12 is an incomplete motorway in Belgium. The road starts at the Dutch border near Zandvliet and goes to Antwerp. There the A12 goes onto the Antwerp ring road R1. Then the road goes via Wilrijk in the direction of Brussels . From here on, it has frontage roads on both sides...

 (at the Strombeek-Bever interchange) and A201 (at the Zaventem interchange).

Course

Starting from the Strombeek-Bever interchange with the A12, the Brussels Ring is located on the Grimbergen

Grimbergen

Grimbergen is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek and Strombeek-Bever. On January 1, 2006 Grimbergen had a total population of 33,965. The total area is...

 municipality. Going clockwise, the ring then crosses the municipalities of City of Brussels

City of Brussels

The City of Brussels is the largest municipality of the Brussels-Capital Region, and the official capital of Belgium by law....

, Vilvoorde

Vilvoorde

Vilvoorde is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo and Houtem and the small town of Peutie...

, Machelen

Machelen

Machelen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Diegem and Machelen proper. On January 1, 2006 Machelen had a total population of 12,500...

, Zaventem

Zaventem

Zaventem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Nossegem, Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, Sterrebeek and Zaventem proper. On January 1, 2006 Zaventem had a total population of 28,651...

, Kraainem

Kraainem

Kraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...

, Wezembeek-Oppem

Wezembeek-Oppem

Wezembeek-Oppem is a municipality in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, ten kilometres east of the centre of Brussels. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 13,504...

, Tervuren

Tervuren

Tervuren is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636...

, Auderghem

Auderghem

Auderghem or Oudergem is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium....

, Watermael-Boitsfort

Watermael-Boitsfort

Watermael-Boitsfort or Watermaal-Bosvoorde is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region in Belgium....

, Hoeilaart

Hoeilaart

Hoeilaart is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The name Hoeilaart is of Gallic-Celtic origin, coming from "Ho-Lar," meaning a high clearing in the woods. Residents are called Hoeilanders or Doenders. The municipality only comprises...

, Waterloo

Waterloo, Belgium

Waterloo is a Walloon municipality located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium. On December 31, 2009, Waterloo had a total population of 29,573. The total area is 21.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,407 inhabitants per km²...

, Braine-l'Alleud

Braine-l'Alleud

Braine-l'Alleud is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant, about 20 kilometers south of Brussels. The Braine-l'Alleud municipality includes the former municipalities of Braine-l'Alleud proper, Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, and Lillois-Witterzée. It also includes...

, Braine-le-Château

Braine-le-Château

Braine-le-Château is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Braine-le-Château had a total population of 9,446...

, Halle

Halle, Belgium

Halle , is a Belgian city and municipality in the district Halle-Vilvoorde of the province Flemish Brabant. The city is located on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal and on the Flemish side of the language border that separates Flanders and Wallonia...

, Beersel

Beersel

Beersel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Alsemberg, Beersel proper, Dworp, Huizingen and Lot. On January 1, 2006 Beersel had a total population of 23,433. The total area is 30.01 km² which gives a population density of 781...

, Drogenbos

Drogenbos

Drogenbos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2006 Drogenbos had a total population of 4,876. The total area is 2.49 km² which gives a population density of 1,957 inhabitants per...

, Forest

Forest, Belgium

Forest or Vorst is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The town is commonly known for its concert hall...

, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw

Sint-Pieters-Leeuw

Sint-Pieters-Leeuw , is a Dutch-speaking municipality of Belgium located in the province of Flemish Brabant .The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw proper and Vlezenbeek. On January 1, 2006 Sint-Pieters-Leeuw had a total population...

, Anderlecht

Anderlecht

Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...

, Dilbeek

Dilbeek

Dilbeek is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek , Schepdaal , Sint-Martens-Bodegem, and Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle...

, Asse

Asse

Asse is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. On January 1, 2006 Asse had a total population of 29,191...

 and Wemmel

Wemmel

Wemmel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2006 Wemmel had a total population of 14,774. The total area is 8.74 km² which gives a population density of 1,690 inhabitants per km².The...

. In all 15 Flemish municipalities are crossed by the ring, 5 from the Brussels region and 3 from Wallonia.

Ramps

As well as having 8 interchanges with other highways, the Brussels Ring has 27 ramp

Interchange (road)

In the field of road transport, an interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation, and one or more ramps, to permit traffic on at least one highway to pass through the junction without directly crossing any other traffic stream. It differs from a standard intersection, at which...

s, numbered counterclockwise from 1 to 27:

• Ramp 1, also known as Quatre Bras/Vier Armen, leads to Tervuren
• Ramp 2 leads to Wezembeek-Oppem, Kraainem and UCL Saint-Luc hospital
• Ramp 3, also known as Zaventem-Henneaulaan, leads to Diegem and Zaventem
• Ramp 4 leads to Diegem-Woluwelaan, Vilvoorde, Evere and Zaventem
• Ramp 5 leads to Machelen
• Ramp 6 leads to Koningslo-Vilvoorde
• Ramp 7 leads to Grimbergen
• Ramp 8 leads to Wemmel, Expo, Strombeek-Bever, Laeken, A12-Willebroek
• Ramp 9 leads to Jette, Brugmann hospital and Merchtem
• Ramp 10 leads to Zellik, Aalst, Brussel, N9-Asse
• Ramp 11 leads to Sint-Agatha-Berchem and Groot-Bijgaarden
• Ramp 12 leads to Dilbeek
• Ramp 13 leads to Dilbeek, N8-Ninove, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek
• Ramp 14 leads to Anderlecht and Moortebeek
• Ramp 15 leads to Anderlecht and Pede
• Ramp 16 leads to Anderlecht and Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
• Ramp 17 leads to Anderlecht-Industries and Brussels-Centrum
• Ramp 18 leads to Ruisbroek, Drogenbos and Uccle-Stalle
• Ramp 19 leads to Lot and Beersel
• Ramp 20 leads to Huizingen and Alsemberg
• Ramp 21 leads to Halle and E429 Lille-Tournai
• Ramp 22 leads to Wauthier-Braine, Tubize and Waterloo
• Ramp 23 leads to Ophain and Braine-l'Alleud
• Ramp 24 leads to Nivelles, Lillois, Braine-l'Alleud and Parc de l'Alliance
• Ramp 25 leads to Genappe, Braine-l'Alleud
• Ramp 26 leads to Mont-Saint-Jean
• Ramp 27 leads to Waterloo-Centre