Western Scheldt Tunnel
Encyclopedia
Western Scheldt
The Western Scheldt in the province Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is the estuary of the Scheldt river. This river once had several estuaries, but the others are disconnected from the Scheldt, leaving the Westerschelde as its only direct way to the sea. It is an important shipping route...
estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen
Terneuzen
Terneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
. It is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in The Netherlands.
History
The tunnel was built by a consortium of Franki Construct, HeijmansHeijmans
Heijmans N.V. is a major European construction-services business with Dutch-based headquarters.-History:The company was founded by Jan Heijmans in Rosmalen in 1923...
, Royal BAM Group, Philipp Holzmann
Philipp Holzmann
Philipp Holzmann AG was a German construction company based in Frankfurt am Main.The company was founded in 1849 by Johann Philipp Holzmann at Sprendlingen in present-day Dreieich near Frankfurt am Main as Philipp Holzmann & Cie...
, TBI Beton- en Waterbouw Voormolen and Wayss & Freytag on behalf of NV Westerscheldetunnel (the Western Scheldt Tunnel Company) with 95.4% ownership by the Dutch Ministry of Transport, Public Works and Water Management (as shareholder from The Netherlands government) and 4.6% ownership by the province of Zeeland
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
. The tunnel was opened on 14 March 2003. Since then the automobile ferry between Flushing
Flushing, Netherlands
Vlissingen is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river and the North Sea, Vlissingen has been an important harbour for centuries. It was granted city rights in 1315. In the 17th century...
(Vlissingen), Breskens
Breskens
Breskens is a harbour town on the Westerschelde in the municipality of Sluis in the province of Zeeland, in the south-western Netherlands. Its population is 4,280 ....
, Kruiningen and Perkpolder operated by the Provincial Steamboat Service (Provinciale Stoombootdiensten) in Zeeland has been discontinued.
The Western Scheldt Tunnel is a bored tunnel and consists of two tubes which were excavated by a tunnel boring machine
Tunnel boring machine
A tunnel boring machine also known as a "mole", is a machine used to excavate tunnels with a circular cross section through a variety of soil and rock strata. They can bore through anything from hard rock to sand. Tunnel diameters can range from a metre to almost 16 metres to date...
. Each tube has room for two driving lanes, but does not have a hard shoulder. Every 250 metres, the two tunnel tubes are connected to each other by lateral connections. Normally the cross-connections are closed and locked. But in an emergency, the doors will automatically be unlocked. The traffic in the left driving lane in the other tunnel will be stopped to allow people to walk safely to the other tunnel.
The Western Scheldt Tunnel is 11.3 metres (37.1 ft) diameter, 6.6 kilometres (4.1 mi) long and has, on the south end, a length of over 1200 metres (3,937 ft), a section of the road with an uphill grade of 4.5%. The maximum clearance is 4.3 metres (14.1 ft). The tunnel reaches its deepest point under the Pas van Terneuzen, 60 metres (196.9 ft) below water level.
The toll for the tunnel is collected near Borssele for both directions.
Bus services
The tunnel is not accessible for pedestrianPedestrian
A pedestrian is a person traveling on foot, whether walking or running. In some communities, those traveling using roller skates or skateboards are also considered to be pedestrians. In modern times, the term mostly refers to someone walking on a road or footpath, but this was not the case...
s, cyclists or moped
Moped
Mopeds are a type of low-powered motorcycle designed to provide economical and relatively safe transport with minimal licensing requirements.Mopeds were once all equipped with bicycle-like pedals , but moped has been increasingly applied by governments to vehicles without pedals, based on their...
riders; however, there are bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
services, and upon request (one hour in advance) bicycles and mopeds can be transported in the bus and a trailer, respectively. New public transport
Public transport
Public transport is a shared passenger transportation service which is available for use by the general public, as distinct from modes such as taxicab, car pooling or hired buses which are not shared by strangers without private arrangement.Public transport modes include buses, trolleybuses, trams...
nodes are Tolplein (mun. Borsele
Borsele
Borsele is a municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland.The name of the municipality is spelled with a single s; the name of the eponymous village is Borssele, spelled with double s....
) on the north bank and Terneuzen Busstation
Bus stop
A bus stop is a designated place where buses stop for passengers to board or leave a bus. These are normally positioned on the highway and are distinct from off-highway facilities such as bus stations. The construction of bus stops tends to reflect the level of usage...
on the south bank. Bus services through these nodes, provided by Connexxion, are:
- Bus 20: GoesGoesGoes is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands in Zuid-Beveland, in the province Zeeland. The city of Goes has approximately 27,000 residents.-History of Goes:...
-TolpleinBorseleBorsele is a municipality in the southwestern Netherlands on Zuid-Beveland.The name of the municipality is spelled with a single s; the name of the eponymous village is Borssele, spelled with double s....
-TerneuzenTerneuzenTerneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
bus stationBus stationA bus station is a structure where city or intercity buses stop to pick up and drop off passengers. It is larger than a bus stop, which is usually simply a place on the roadside, where buses can stop...
-SluiskilTerneuzenTerneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
-Sas van GentTerneuzenTerneuzen is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With over 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland.-Population centres :...
-ZelzateZelzateZelzate is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality only comprises the town of Zelzate proper. On January 1, 2006 Zelzate had a total population of 12,176. The total area is 13.71 km² which gives a population density of 888 inhabitants per km².Zelzate is...
(FlandersFlandersFlanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
) - Bus 50: between MiddelburgMiddelburgMiddelburg is a municipality and a city in the south-western Netherlands and the capital of the province of Zeeland. It is situated in the Midden-Zeeland region. It has a population of about 48,000.- History of Middelburg :...
and HulstHulstHulst is a municipality and a city in southwestern Netherlands in the east of Zeelandic Flanders.- History :Hulst received city rights in the 12th century....
The regular bus fare applies.
Tolls for 2010
- Motorcycles and cars: € 4.80
- Cars with caravan: € 7.15
- Small trucks, campers and buses: € 17.50
- Large trucks: € 24.00
Emergency vehicles and military vehicles are toll free.
Reduced tolls are available for subscribers (respectively € 3.75, € 5.60, € 13.60 and € 18.75). That is more expensive than the ferry over the Western Scheldt that operated before the tunnel was opened. As well, there is no reduced toll for residents of Zeelandic Flanders (Zeeuws-Vlaanderen).
Lawsuit Committee Tunnel Toll Free
In April 2006, Zeelandic Flanders citizens in cooperation with the Socialist Party of Terneuzen established the Lawsuit Committee Tunnel Toll Free (Actiecomité TunnelTolvrij.nl). The purpose of this lawsuit is first to oppose the sale of the tunnel and secondly to make the tunnel toll free.External links
- Western Scheldt Tunnel Official Web Page In English and Dutch.