Second Heinenoordtunnel near Barendrecht

In the existing Heinenoordtunnel, there are two lanes for slow traffic and cyclists. These lanes will have to make way for fast traffic. Therefore, a new tunnel, consisting of two tubes, was drilled next to the existing tunnel. One tube is specifically for farming traffic, the other is for cyclists.

What makes this new tunnel special is its experimental character: it is the first drilled tunnel in the Netherlands. A drilled tunnel lies a lot deeper than a sunken tunnel. As it turned out, in this case there was just enough room to allow the farming traffic to descend and ascend by themselves (on a steep slope of 1:30). This proved impossible for cyclists, since they can manage a maximum slope of 1:15. For cyclists we developed two large 'bowls' on both sides of the actual tunnel, with escalators and a big lift.

Social safety and the utilisation of durable materials that are easy to maintain are essential here, all the more since there will only be a lot of traffic during rush hour, whereas the tunnel will have to remain open 24 hours a day.

Award
Winner: Concrete award 1999