While the dredging process for a temporary navigation channel has commenced around the Scheldt Tunnel construction site, in order to make room for dredging the trench for the immersed tunnel beneath the River Scheldt, the shipping channel is due to be moved temporarily to the north and narrowed from 180m to 80m. The scheduled date for putting eight tunnel elements, which are currently being built in Zeebrugge, in their place is coming year.
As a part of the Oosterweel Link road which is going to carry traffic around the outskirts of Flanders, the six-lane 1.8km tunnel’s construction is up to TM Cotu, a consortium of Besix, Stadsbader Contractors, Deme Group and Jan De Nul.
In order to provide access to the Scheldt tunnel, excavation of the third and last construction pit had started on the Left Bank. Here the road between the tunnel and the new Sint-Anna Linkeroever junction will be built and by the end of the summer the new Scheldt dyke on the Left Bank will be ready.
According to Scheldetunnel Linkoever project leader Maarten Pombreu: “That as the ramps for the new Scheldt tunnel were progressing on both banks and the tunnel elements would be completed at the end of this year, work was now under way in the river. We will first dredge a temporary channel so that shipping traffic is pushed more towards the Right Bank and can pass the works. In this way, we free up space on the Left Bank for dredging the southern part of the tunnel trench. Afterwards, shipping traffic will shift again towards the Left Bank, so that the northern part of the sinking trench along the Right Bank can be dredged.”
Considering that the quantity of removed soil during dredging process will be 1.3 million m3 of, and this amount involves almost 200,000m3 of polluted soil with oils and heavy metals, they are due to be transported to processing centers.
The 1 million m3 of soil that is being removed for creating the tunnel access on the Left Bank, will be used for landscaping in the area.
Groundwater pumped during construction is being treated at a purification plant to remove PFAS (per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances) and then pumped to the Blokkersdijk nature reserve.
