SOFICO's missions
The initial objective of SOFICO was to focus on completing the large projects indicated on the maps of the Trans-European road and waterway network as “missing links”: the E25-E40/A602 link, the last section of the E429/A8 motorway, the Couvin bypass on the E420, the Strépy-Thieu boat lift, and the lvoz-Ramet, Lanaye and Ampsin-Neuville lock structures.
In 2010, SOFICO became the project owner of the “structuring” road network that includes all Wallonia’s motorways and its main national highways. It finances, manages, maintains and rehabilitates them. The structuring network consists of about 2,700 kilometres of roadways: 876 kilometres of motorways, 1,455 kilometres of strategic national highways and 400 kilometres of motorway interchanges.
SOFICO is responsible for about one hundred motorway service areas in the structuring network, about forty of which are licensed out to oil companies or companies. It also develops carpooling facilities near the major roads and motorways.
SOFICO also plays an active role in telecommunications: it manages Wallonia’s optical fiber network along its road, motorway and waterway network, with a view to marketing it, facilitating its implementation in areas that are difficult to access and meeting the new needs of intelligent highways. Lastly, it makes areas along its infrastructures available to mobile telephone companies to allow them to place their antenna and improve the coverage in Wallonia.
SOFICO makes infrastructures and spaces available so that service concession can be developed to increase the production of renewable energy: wind, photovoltaic, hydroelectric and even biomass.
Several times a year, SOFICO organises awareness campaigns on road safety regulations and the proper use of road infrastructures.
SPW Infrastructures provide SOFICO with technical assistance to enable it to carry out its missions.