Oosterweel link: canal tunnels officially launched in Antwerp, Belgium

On Wednesday 15 May 2024, the construction of the canal tunnels was officially kicked off in the presence of Flemish Minister for Mobility and Public Works, Lydia Peeters. The tunnels are part of the Oosterweel link in Antwerp and are being built by the ROCO joint-venture, which is responsible for the sub-project ‘Rechteroever’ (Eng.: Right Bank). Both BESIX and BESIX Infra are part of the joint-venture and are contributing to this feat’s realisation.

Lantis, ondertekening charter, Rocco, Oosterweel | Photographer: koen keppens, KOEN KEPPENS | Copyright: koen keppens

Stacked tunnels

The canal tunnels consist of four tubes, stacked in pairs. They start at the southern port area (America Dock) and run under the Albert Canal. Eventually, they split up and the lower and upper tubes each go in a different direction.

Together with the Oosterweel junction and the Scheldt Tunnel, which BESIX is also contributing to, the canal tunnels form the missing link that will complete the Antwerp Ring Road. Thanks to a closed Ring Road, a robust traffic system is ensured that will make mobility in the Antwerp region smoother in the future.

Jeroen Philtjens, Project Director TM ROCO: "Building the stacked canal tunnels under the city is an immense technical challenge for ROCO. We are eagerly looking forward to completing this next step in the realisation of the construction site of the century, as it’s often called in Belgium. Together with our client Lantis, the people living in the neighbourhood and all our partners, we are taking up this challenge. Our joint efforts are aimed at improving mobility for the future and maintaining a safe and liveable construction period."

The works

Unlike for the Scheldt Tunnel, for which the elements are built in a special construction dock in the port of Zeebruges, the elements for the canal tunnels are built on site. To this end, steel sheet pile walls will be vibrated into the bottom of the Albert Canal as from the end of May. A method involving as little piling as possible was chosen to minimise noise pollution.

Creating this sheet piling wall will take about a year. From the end of 2024, the water between the sheet piling will be pumped out and a dry construction pit will be realised, in which the tunnel itself can be built. The first sections of the canal tunnels are expected to be completed by the end of 2028.

Safety first and a Belgian first

By opting for stacked tunnels, ships can continue to pass through the Albert Canal during construction, albeit with a locally narrower clearance than usual. To ensure that everything runs optimally and safely, Lantis and waterway operators Port of Antwerp-Bruges and De Vlaamse Waterweg have worked out a package of measures, which includes the application of the Vessel Traffic Services (VTS) traffic control system, among other things.

In addition, a so-called approach ramp has been created to protect both the construction site, and in the future the canal tunnels and ships as well, in the event of a collision. Upon contact with the approach ramp, the ship will lose speed and eventually come to a halt, without hitting the tunnel and compromising safety. It is the first time such a ramp has been built in Belgium.

Colleague Jeroen Philtjens, Project Director

*TM ROCO is the consortium of contractors that will build the canal tunnels under the Albert Canal and the semi-sunken Ring Road. It comprises the contractors BESIX, BESIX INFRA, Cordeel, DEME, Jan De Nul, Denys, Franki Construct, Van Laere and Willemen Infra.