Maastunnel, Road tunnel in Rotterdam, Netherlands
The Maastunnel is a road tunnel in Rotterdam offering four separate passages beneath the Nieuwe Maas river. It contains two vehicle lanes plus dedicated passages for cyclists and pedestrians making the crossing.
Construction started in 1937 and finished in 1942, making it the first immersed tunnel in the Netherlands. It was built during a period when Rotterdam was undergoing major infrastructure transformation.
The tunnel displays expressionist design by Ad van der Steur with mosaic artworks by Jaap Gidding in the pedestrian escalator areas. These artistic details shape how people experience passing through and turn the crossing into something more than just a functional route.
The tunnel connects the northern and southern parts of Rotterdam and handles thousands of daily crossings by all transport types. Separate routes keep vehicles, cyclists, and pedestrians clearly divided for safe passage.
The ventilation buildings on each riverbank function as architectural gateways containing staircases and access points for pedestrians and cyclists. These distinctive structures mark the tunnel entrances and are hard to miss.
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