The new tunnel under the river Scheldt – the masterpiece of the Oosterweel connection –is progressing well. Four of the eight tunnel parts will be ready within a few weeks. Meanwhile, construction workers are busy building the entrances and exits of the car and bicycle tunnels on both river banks.

The eight tunnel elements are built in a dock in Zeebrugge. Once they’re ready, they will be transported to Antwerp to be immersed in their final location. A challenging undertaking. To manage the journey of the tunnel elements, shipping traffic on the Scheldt will also have to adapt.

Sinking tunnel elements

Tunnel elements three, four, five, and six will be finalized in the coming weeks. Construction of the last two parts will start in early 2024, but their arrival is already fully prepared today.

A team of about ten people is full-time preparing for the sinking of the eight elements to the bottom of the Scheldt. The elements will, therefore, be equipped with ballast tanks, pipes, and concrete bulkheads to make them float once the construction dock is flooded.

Solve mobility problems

Access roads on the left and right banks will be ready to receive the eight tunnel elements from Zeebrugge at the beginning of 2025. On the left bank, the contours of the new tunnel start emerging, and soon the first roof slab will be poured. At the same time, the first concrete for the tunnel floor is now being poured on the Right bank.

The new Scheldt tunnel is technically challenging but desperately needed to solve the mobility problem in the wider Antwerp region.