Submersion of the second part of Maasdeltatunnel halted due to broken cable, shipping traffic blocked

The sinking of the second section of the Maasdeltatunnel near Rotterdam failed on Saturday due to a broken cable that is holding the tunnel section on the south side. As a result, the tunnel section collided with the temporary quay on the Vlaardingen side.

"Due to the damage to the temporary headwall, the construction consortium BAAK, in cooperation with Rijkswaterstaat, has decided to stop the immersion works," Rijkswaterstaat reported. "In the next few days, it will be decided how and when the work will continue and whether one of the free weekends can be used for this purpose." The tunnel section will be moved to another location for investigation. It is expected that the blockage for shipping traffic will be resolved before Sunday afternoon, NOS reported.

There were also problems during the sinking of the first section. Then a short circuit occurred due to a leak at the head of the tunnel section.

The Maasdeltatunnel is part of the connection to Blankenburg. The new highway, the A24, is being built to connect the A20 at Vlaardingen with the A15 at Rozenburg. The Maasdeltatunnel is being built under the Scheur river east of Maassluis and Rozenburg.