Posted on December 18, 2025
The Antwerp ring road is one of the busiest traffic arteries in Belgium. Fortunately, improvement is in sight. The Oosterweel project will finally close the ring road, keep cut-through traffic out of the city centre and greatly improve the quality of life in the area. We are helping to build two impressive parts of this project: the Scheldt Tunnel and the deepened ring road in Merksem which we also connect to the Canal Tunnels. Colleagues Jeffrey Depauw and Koen Van Regenmortel provide an insight into the approach, challenges and progress of these complex works.
What is the difference between the Scheldt Tunnel and the Canal Tunnels?
Jeffrey: “The Scheldt Tunnel is an immersed tunnel, which means that we prefabricate the tunnel elements and then install them in the right place. In this case, we built the elements in Zeebrugge and towed them via the North Sea and the Western Scheldt to their final location in Antwerp. The concept sounds simple, the execution is slightly less so.”
Koen: “We build the Canal Tunnels on site by draining the area with double sheet pile walls. In between both, we dig away the soil and build four tunnel shafts. Due to the limited space in the port, we do not build the shafts side by side, but in pairs on top of one another.”
And for these works, it is not just our construction expertise that comes into play.
Jeffrey: “That is right. Our dredging division was also involved in the Scheldt Tunnel. We deployed no fewer than six vessels to prepare the riverbed of the Scheldt for the tunnel. Doing so in a tidal river with strong currents, heavy shipping traffic and a tight schedule was quite a challenge in itself.”
Koen: “The same applies to the Canal Tunnels. There, we relied on the sheet piling expertise of our foundation expert Soetaert, as well as our experience in complex remediation works. It is great to bring all that knowledge together in one project.”
“The importance of this project for society is huge. By going underwater and underground, you create a win-win situation. We improve the living environment of local residents and make passing traffic smoother.”
Jeffrey Depauw, Director Work Preparation for the TM COTU partnership
How far along are both projects at this point?
Jeffrey: “Over a six-month period, we installed the eight tunnel elements one by one. In mid-December, we lowered the final element into its permanent position. In the coming months, we will construct the closure joint and connect the individual tunnel elements into a single structure. This will be followed by the installation of technical systems, tunnel finishing works and road infrastructure. We are aiming to open the tunnel to cyclists in 2028 and to motorised traffic in 2030.”
Koen: “For the Canal Tunnels, we continued working on a solid foundation and installed the sheet piles that hold back the water of the Albert Canal. At the same time, we are building the deepened ring road in Merksem. In the coming years, the Merksem viaduct will be demolished to make way for this deepened ring. To limit traffic disruption during the works, we are constructing a temporary Bypass that will replace the viaduct for eight years. At the end of October, we already opened the first section of this Bypass towards the Netherlands.”
On 14 December, we successfully installed the final element of the Scheldt Tunnel.
Afterwards, little of your work will be visible. Does that not sting?
Koen: “We can live with that. If you build the ring road underground, you increase the liveability of the above-ground area. That, of course, is also worth something. Building a ring road under the city is not that common as it represents quite a feat, in terms of both safety and traffic engineering. But it is a great challenge.”
Jeffrey: “The importance of this project for society is huge. By going underwater and underground, you create a win-win situation. We improve the living environment of local residents and make passing traffic smoother. Plus, we are giving more space back to nature, such as the mudflats and salt marshes above the Scheldt Tunnel on the Left Bank.”
Koen: “All those things turn Oosterweel into a life’s work and we do take pride in that.”
“If you build the ring road underground, you increase the liveability of the above-ground area.”
Koen Van Regenmortel, Director Operations R1 for the TM ROCO partnership
In collaboration with our partners in TM COTU and TM ROCO, we are delivering both projects on behalf of Lantis.
