Belgium, Antwerp

Oosterweel

A major Western European infrastructure project

It is one of the largest infrastructure and urban planning projects ever undertaken in Belgium. Developed by Lantis for the Flemish government, the Oosterweel project will close off the Antwerp ring road, including with underground infrastructure. Together with their joint venture partners, BESIX and several of its subsidiaries are participating in this project via three separate contracts with a total value of 3.35 billion euros: the tunnel under the Scheldt, the infrastructure on the Antwerp right bank, and the electromechanical installations of the various tunnels. The work, which includes project engineering and construction, started in 2020 and will last 10 years.

The Scheldt Tunnel

In 2020, Lantis awarded the contract for the construction of the Scheldt tunnel to the “Tijdelijke Handelsvereniging Combinatie Oosterweeltunnel” (THV COTU) consortium. Known as the jewel in the crown of this crucial infrastructure project, the Scheldt tunnel will be the most important connecting element in the Oosterweel link and closes the Antwerp Ring Road on the north side. The tunnel has a total length of 1,800 m and will be built according to the ‘immersed tube’ method. Eight tunnel elements of approximately 60,000 tonnes each will be built in the inner port of Zeebrugge and then towed to Antwerp via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt, where they will be immersed in a pre-dredged trench in the River Scheldt. This technique, in which gravity and the upward force of water are constantly competing with each other, is one of the most ingenious building methods in concrete and hydraulic construction.

Right Bank of the Oosterweel Link

In 2021, Lantis awarded the contract for the construction of the Right Bank sub-project to the Tijdelijke Maatschap Rechteroever Compleet (Temporary Partnership Right Bank Complete), abbreviated to TM ROCO, for an amount of EUR 2,350 mio. The Right Bank sub-project is of a size and complexity never seen before in Flanders. The Right Bank sub-project, via the Oosterweel intersection, forms the link between the Scheldt tunnel and the R1, both in the Northern and Eastern directions. The R1 will also be constructed completely in a cutting and partly covered, so the Merksem viaduct will disappear and the urban landscape will undergo an extensive metamorphosis into a contemporary green and socially sustainable environment.