Western Scheldt Tunnel


The Western Scheldt Tunnel is a road tunnel in the Netherlands that carries highway N62 under the Western Scheldt estuary between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen. It is the only physical connection between Zeelandic Flanders and the middle part of Zeeland. At long, it is the longest tunnel for highway traffic in the Netherlands.
WWW westerscheldetunnel.nl/en...

History and description

The tunnel was built by a consortium of Franki Construct, Heijmans, Royal BAM Group, Philipp Holzmann, TBI Beton- en Waterbouw Voormolen and Wayss & Freytag on behalf of NV Westerscheldetunnel, which is 100% owned by the province of Zeeland. The tunnel was opened on 14 March 2003. After the tunnel was opened, the two automobile ferries between Flushing-Breskens and Kruiningen-Perkpolder, operated by the Provincial Steamboat Service, were discontinued.
The Western Scheldt Tunnel consists of two tubes, excavated by a tunnel boring machine. Each tube has two car lanes without a hard shoulder. Every 250 metres, the two tunnel tubes are connected by lateral connections. Normally the cross-connections are closed and locked. In an emergency, the doors unlock automatically. The traffic in the left driving lane of the other tunnel is stopped, allowing people to walk safely into the other tunnel.
The Western Scheldt Tunnel is diameter, long, with on the south end a stretch of road with an uphill grade of 4.5%. The maximum clearance is. The tunnel reaches its deepest point under the Pas van Terneuzen shipping lane, below water level.
For both directions, the toll is collected near Borssele, near the north end of the tunnel.

Bus services

The tunnel is not accessible for pedestrians, cyclists or moped riders; however, there are bus services and on request bicycles and mopeds can be transported in the bus and a trailer, respectively. Public transport nodes are Tolplein on the north bank and Terneuzen Busstation on the south bank. Bus services through these nodes are provided by Connexxion:

Tolls

Prior to December 2024 cars and motorcycles were required to pay a toll of €5, while cars with caravans paid a toll of €7.45. These tolls were removed on 30 December 2024, leaving only the tolls for small trucks, campers, and busses, as well for large trucks. Reduced tolls are available for subscribers, there is no reduced toll for residents of Zeelandic Flanders. Emergency vehicles and military vehicles can travel through the tunnel toll-free.