Tunnel sections of Maasdeltatunnel successfully immersed

In the Netherlands, tunnel sections of this size have not been built and immersed before. The tunnel sections are 185 and 205 m long and were immersed to a depth of -30 m NAP in a tidal river. The operation took about 36 hours. This completes the journey of Alara and Isabella.

Project director Hélène Moors, Rijkswaterstaat: "When I was watching the work with some colleagues last night, I realised how special this project is. The sounds of work, lights and yet also the silence made me realise that this is 'once in a lifetime'. And not only for me, but also for everyone around us. Today - as a construction project and soon as a new connection between areas and people."

After the completion of the operation, the last piece of tunnel, also called the closing joint, will be made between the northern exit and the tunnel section that has just been immersed. Finally, there will be sand on the side of the tunnel and a metre-thick layer of stones on top of the tunnel for protection.

Project director Bert Arien: "I am proud of the team with which we successfully completed this major challenge. Hundreds of people made this possible, employees of BAAK and Rijkswaterstaat, external consultants, numerous subcontractors and stakeholders like the Port of Rotterdam Authority. They have shown great understanding and patience in recent months, allowing us to now work towards the completion of the project."

Ronald de Geus, managing director Ballast Nedam Infra Projects: "We are very happy to have managed to successfully complete this job and are very proud of the team that has worked hard on this. Now we look forward to the start of the next phase of this project, so that we can open the tunnel to traffic in 2024."