Westerschelden tunnel

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Westerschelden tunnel entrance

At 6.6 km, the Westerschelden tunnel is the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands . It crosses under the Westerschelde between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen and thus connects the Zuid-Beveland peninsula with the Zeeuws-Vlaanderen on the mainland . It replaces the former ferry service between Vlissingen and Breskens and between Kruiningen and Perkpolder .

history

The Westerschelden Tunnel was opened on March 14, 2003 and is toll road . The tunnel is operated by NV Westerschelden Tunnel and 95.4% belongs to the Dutch Ministry of Transport and Water State and 4.6% to the province of Zeeland . Since July 1, 2009, the company has been wholly owned by the province.

The road tunnel consists of two tubes with two lanes each. It was dug with two tunnel boring machines. The two tunnels are connected by cross tunnels every 250 meters. The doors in the tunnels can be opened automatically in the event of danger, while the opposite lane on the left in the other tube is blocked so that people can escape safely into this tube.

The construction time was a good two years, with geologically difficult conditions, especially on the more than 30 m deep Pas van Terneuzen shipping channel , which had a tunnel depth of up to 60 m below sea level, taking into account a maximum water pressure of 6.5 bar for all tunnel elements required. At the southern end of the tunnel is a 1200 meter long incline with 4.5%. The maximum headroom is 4.30 m. In the vicinity of Borssele a “toll” is levied for both directions. The tunnel is closed to pedestrians and cyclists, they can use the bus that drives through the tunnel. Cell phones work in the entire tunnel area thanks to built-in cellular antennas.

Toll tariff

Toll booth

In 2006, a citizens' initiative was formed to prevent the sale of tunnels and which demands that the tunnel be toll-free.

Until 2012 the prices were increased regularly, then they remained constant for years (as of 2020).

Price increases

In July 2009

  • Car: € 4.70
  • Car with trailer € 7.00
  • Vans, campers and buses € 17.20
  • Large trucks € 23.50

In April 2010:

  • Car: € 4.80
  • Car with trailer € 7.15
  • Small vans, mobile homes and buses € 17.50
  • Large trucks € 24.00

In April 2011:

  • Car: € 4.90
  • Car with trailer € 7.30
  • Vans, campers and buses € 17.85
  • Large trucks € 24.50

In March 2012:

  • Car: € 5.00
  • Car with trailer € 7.45
  • Small vans, campers and buses € 18.20
  • Large trucks € 25.00

In July 2020:

  • Car: € 5.00
  • Car with trailer € 7.45
  • Small vans, campers and buses € 18.20
  • Large trucks € 25.00
  • Motorcycles € 2.50

Web links

Commons : Westerschelden tunnel  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 51 ° 22 '24.2 "  N , 3 ° 47' 54.5"  E