Oosterweel Link, river crossing under construction in Antwerp, Belgium
The Oosterweel Link is a tunnel beneath the Scheldt River in Antwerp, designed to connect the left and right banks of the city as part of a larger ring road project. It is made up of eight concrete tube segments, each prefabricated at a port facility before being floated to the site and sunk into position.
The idea of closing Antwerp's ring road was first discussed in 1996, but it took until 2005 for the government to settle on a submerged tunnel as the chosen approach. Decades of debate over routes and designs meant that construction did not begin until many years after the original proposal.
The link brings together parts of the city that the Scheldt River had long kept apart, making the crossing feel natural for cyclists and pedestrians. Once open, it will change the way people think about moving between the left and right banks of Antwerp.
The tunnel is still under construction, and the surrounding area has active building sites that affect access routes in the area. Cyclists are expected to be able to use it from 2028, with car traffic planned for a later date.
Each of the eight concrete segments was built on land, then floated by ship to its position and lowered onto the riverbed with a tolerance of just a few centimeters. This method, developed jointly by Belgian and Dutch engineers, made it possible to work under one of the busiest waterways in northern Europe.
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