By rosebell
Following that the construction process of the first tunnel element on the left bank of the River Scheldt was recently completed by TM Cotu, a consortium of Besix, Stadsbader Contractors, Deme Group and Jan De Nul, flooding of this part of the site began earlier this month.
As a part of the Oosterweel Link, the 1.8km-long Scheldt Tunnel is a ring road around Antwerp designed to improve links to the city and its port.
In order to being prepared for the next phase of the project, 150,000m3 of water is due to be pumped from the Scheldt into the area over the coming weeks.
Considering that the flooding will allow the river to flow freely and creating additional room for natural flood management, it is a critical step towards the planned breaching of the current dyke next year. With the aim of strengthing Antwerp’s flood defence, a new dyke, 2.5m higher, will be constructed 300m inland, creating a 24ha ecologically valuable area with mudflats, tidal marshes and a floodplain forest.
According to Elke Rombaut, project manager earthworks and dredging at TM Cotu: ” The tunnel yard needed to be flooded progressively because the River Scheldt’s strong current meant breaching the current dyke could damage the tunnel.”
With 160m long and 40m wide, the remaining eight tunnel elements for the Scheldt Tunnel have been constructed in a dedicated dry dock in Zeebrugge.While the date of completing structural work was September 2024, currently the elements are being prepared for transport to Antwerp in 2025.
Preparations include sealing the ends of each element with temporary walls, installing ballast tanks for buoyancy and adding tensioning strands to ensure the eight segments of each element remain securely connected during transport. The tunnel elements will be towed one by one via the North Sea and Scheldt to Antwerp, where they will be submerged and connected to the riverbanks.
The scheduled date for inauguration of the Scheldt Tunnel for cyclists is 2028 and for motorised traffic by 2030. This tunnel which is set for completion in phases, is part of the broader Oosterweel Link project and is due to provide a vital new crossing of the Scheldt and close the northern section of the Antwerp Ring Road, easing congestion and improving connectivity.
