By rosebell
Considering the industrial action and ongoing uncertainty surrounding action by the pilots’ union, the immersion of the fifth section of the Scheldt Tunnel scheduled has been postponed by the client, Lantis, and contractor TM Cotu.
Lantis environmental director Bart Van Camp said: “Around 200 employees and all necessary vessels and equipment were ready for the operation and the costs of the cancellation were estimated to run into millions.”
While the location of the last four tunnel sections of the Scheldt Tunnel is the Doel Dock in the port of Antwerp, currently the scheduled dtae for immersion of the fifth section is October 31 when the next neap tide occurs.
Despite the knock-on effects of the delay, Lantis said it still expected to have all the tunnel sections installed by the end of the year.
Following installation of the section five, section eight, the segment that links to the tunnel entrance on the right bank, is due to be done and then will section seven be immersed as the final section.
According to Lantis project leader Bert Claeys: “By installing section eight first, we maintain sufficient manoeuvring space on the Scheldt for the final immersion operation.There remains a space of approximately 2m between sections seven and eight. We will later fill this with the so-called closing joint, an underwater concrete structure that completely seals the tunnel.”
Including two tunnels for car traffic, an emergency tunnel, and a 6m-wide bicycle tunnel, the new tunnel of Scheldt provides an additional crossing beneath the Scheldt River, helping complete the Antwerp Ring Road. The date that cyclists will be able to use the Scheldt Tunnel is 2028, with car traffic following in 2030. The planned date for entire Oosterweel connection to be completed is 2033.
