The construction of the new Scheldt Tunnel is progressing well. After reaching the deepest point of the construction pit on the left bank of the Scheldt in Antwerp (Belgium) in August, the first two tunnel elements are now almost complete as well! These elements are being built in a dry dock in Zeebrugge. The tunnel comprises a total of eight elements, all of which are expected to be completed by the end of 2024. Transportation towards Antwerp is scheduled for early 2025.
TM COTU*, the team responsible for the realisation of the Scheldt Tunnel, started building the tunnel elements last January. Now, almost eight months later, structural works of the first two elements are all but finished. Each element consists of two tunnels for motorised traffic with three lanes in each direction, an evacuation tunnel and a 6-metre-wide bike tunnel. They weigh a staggering 65,000 tonnes each and are 160 metres long, 42 metres wide, and 10 metres high.
In the meantime, the team in Zeebrugge has started on the next two elements, three and four. The construction of elements five and six will begin in October. The goal is to complete all elements, including seven and eight, by the end of 2024 so that they can be transported to Antwerp in spring 2025. Transporting the tunnel will be a true technical feat. Once the elements are finished and made watertight, the dry dock will be flooded, causing the elements to start floating. They will then be transported to Antwerp via tugboats through the North Sea and the Scheldt River, where they will be submerged, assembled and connected to the riverbanks. The tunnel is scheduled to open in 2030.
The realisation of the Scheldt Tunnel has a clear deadline. A strict planning and good coordination are thus essential. However, having enough manpower to conduct the works is crucial as well. Every day for 50 weeks a year, about 130 workers are active on the site of Zeebrugge to build the new Scheldt Tunnel. This is impressive, but also necessary, because each of the elements requires 6,000 tonnes of steel and 24.300 m³ of concrete! An additional difficulty is that the tunnel is slightly curved. In other words: the elements are not perfectly straight and differ from each other. To avoid any construction mistakes regarding this, five surveyors are present to support the teams at all times!
*TM COTU stands for Tijdelijke Maatschap Combinatie Oosterweeltunnel in Dutch and is a consortium comprising the Belgian construction companies BESIX, DEME, Stadsbader Contractors and Jan De Nul.
Admire the evolution of the Scheldt Tunnel in the series below:
