DEME Group has just released the latest update on the Scheldetunnel project, saying that the final section of the old dike on Antwerp’s Left Bank – which separates the river Scheldt from the Scheldetunnel – is being excavated.
Once this section is removed, the first tunnel element will be fully underwater. This marks another major step in the Oosterweel project, which will complete the Antwerp ring road, said DEME. To protect the first tunnel section on the Left Bank from the strong currents of the Scheldt, the site was carefully flooded last month. 400 meters of the old dike are excavated to make way for the arrival of the first tunnel element later this year from the construction yard in Zeebrugge.
According to DEME, this element will be linked to the existing section on the Left Bank by summer 2025. Additionally, a new, higher dike has been constructed 300 meters inland, offering improved flood protection while also creating 24 hectares of tidal nature – roughly the size of 34 soccer fields.
This area will feature mudflats, salt marshes, and a 6-hectare floodplain forest, providing a habitat for local fauna and flora, concluded DEME.