Maas Tunnel pedestrians

The Maastunnel is the oldest sunken tunnel in the Netherlands. It connects the banks of the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam. The tunnel consists of four tubes: two for cars, one for cyclists, and one for pedestrians. Construction began in 1937 and was completed in 1942.

Every day, over 75,000 motor vehicles and about 7,000 cyclists and moped riders, along with 150 pedestrians, use this tunnel.^[2] This makes the Maastunnel an important link in the Rotterdam road network. A speed limit of 50 km/h applies for fast traffic.

History[edit | edit source]

Years of intense discussions preceded the construction, occurring between 1898 and 1910. There was general agreement that a new river crossing was needed due to traffic jams caused by the Willems Bridge and the Koninginne Bridge. The debate mainly focused on whether a bridge or a tunnel should be built. Eventually, there was a time when a ferry service that could also transport cars operated, but this ferry service could not alleviate the congestion at the bridges. The municipality of Rotterdam eventually got its wish in the late twenties: a tunnel turned out to be financially more attractive than a bridge, especially due to the significant height of 60 meters that a bridge would need to allow shipping traffic to pass.

The Maastunnel was constructed using the sinking method. The individual segments (caissons) for the Maastunnel were constructed elsewhere in a dry dock, then transported to the location of the tunnel and sunk there. This method would later be applied to numerous other Dutch tunnels. To prevent leaks, a coating of welded steel plates was applied around the entire concrete structure of the Maastunnel. The Maastunnel is the first submerged tunnel ever built; after placement in the bed of the Maas, sand was pumped under and around the tunnel. This allowed the river tunnel to be constructed in a rectangular cross-section. Prior to this, such tunnels always had a round tube.

Each of the nine sunken sections of the Maastunnel is 61.35 meters long, 9 meters high, and 25 meters wide. Inside, there are two tubes for motorized traffic (with a height clearance of 4 meters) side by side, and two stacked tubes for (moped) cyclists and pedestrians, accessible via wooden escalators. To monitor air quality in the tunnel, a laboratory was located in one of the ventilation buildings.

The deepest point of the tunnel is approximately 20 meters below NAP. Above ground, the tunnel can be recognized by the characteristic ventilation buildings on both banks, which are also clearly visible from the Euromast, located nearby. In connection with the Maastunnel, Rotterdam has constructed the Tunnel Traverse.

Especially in the 1950s and 1960s, there was massive use of the Maastunnel by cyclists and moped riders. In the mornings, all three of the four escalators running from south to north, and vice versa in the afternoons. To force cyclists to stay in line, a mounted policeman was placed on either side of the line. Cycling is allowed in the tunnel. The use of mopeds in the Maastunnel is prohibited due to ventilation issues: moped riders must turn off their engines.

WSV Zelden Rust