Western Scheldt Tunnel

The Westerscheldetunnel is a 6.6-kilometer-long tunnel beneath the Westerschelde between Ellewoutsdijk and Terneuzen, making it the longest road traffic tunnel in the Netherlands. The tunnel is operated by NV Westerscheldetunnel, which is 95.4% owned by the Ministry of Transport and Water Management (as a shareholder of the Dutch state) and 4.6% by the province of Zeeland. The tunnel was opened on March 14, 2003.
Since then, the car ferry services Vlissingen - Breskens and Kruiningen - Perkpolder of the Provincial Steamboat Services in Zeeland have been discontinued.
The Westerscheldetunnel is a bored tunnel consisting of two tubes excavated by a tunnel boring machine. Each tube has room for two lanes. There is no emergency lane. Every 250 meters, the tunnel tubes are connected by cross-connections. Normally, the doors to the cross-connections are locked, but in an emergency, the doors are automatically unlocked. Traffic in the left lane of the other tunnel tube is halted so that people can safely enter the other tunnel tube.
The Westerscheldetunnel is 6.6 km long and has a road section on the south side, 1200 meters long, with a slope of 4.5%. The maximum driving height is 4.30 meters.
Tolls for this tunnel are collected in Ellewoutsdijk for both directions.
The tunnel is not suitable for pedestrians and cyclists. However, they can use the bus service through the tunnel. Cyclists can ride along from the toll plaza in Ellewoutsdijk to the bus station in Terneuzen. The service is operated by Connexxion.

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