Despite a population in the predominantly rural Zweeuwsch-Vlaanderen area of only around 100 000, there have been plans since the 1930s to join the area with the rest of the Netherlands by a fixed crossing. government finance, so earlier lobbying was not successful.

The establishment of NV Westerscheldetunnel by the provincial and national governments as a public limited company has been the key to progressing the project. The other is the money the government will save in the long-term by not paying for the ferries.

Structure

The original project plan was to be in the charge of the Province of Zeeland but the province was unable to provide sufficient money, despite some central government funding. The national Ministry of Transport, Public Works & Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) and the Ministry of Finance proposed the setting up of the company by the government and province. The necessary legislation included a measure to allow toll collection by a private company.

Within the public limited company there is a board of executive directors and also a board of commissioners with a temporary supervisory role. The latter is appointed by shareholders and has the power to hire, sack or suspend executives at any time. Shareholder meetings are normally twice a year or for major decisions.

Commercial banks had been reluctant to lend to an apparently low return project with perceived high risk construction. NV Westerscheldetunnel’s financial controller Gaston Suij told T&TI the current forecast return for the project is 8-9% per annum compared to commercial bank expectations of up to 15-20%. He says that 8.2% is currently acceptable to the company.

Government

The government played its financial part because it is currently subsidising the two ferries across the Westerschelde to a total of approximately DFl 60M ($25M) a year, with another DFl 40M being collected in fares. The lifetime costs of running the tunnel will be cheaper than the ferries and there are capital (replacement) as well as revenue savings to be made.

This combination of factors, together with a government guarantee of continued subsidies for 30 years (the period of the NV Westerscheldetunnel concession) made the project feasible once the appropriate ownership and operating structure could be established. The ferries will cease to operate when the tunnel crossing opens, although a ferry for pedestrians and cyclists will be retained between Vlissingen and Breskens.

After 30 years the tunnel complex will pass to government ownership. Consequently the national government agreed to provide 95% of the start-up finance for a majority share of the company. The Province of Zeeland provided 5%.

As there will be little flexibility in tolls, and interest rates are largely out of the hands of NV Westerscheldetunnel, the main variables on finance are the level of traffic (hence a massive publicity campaign) and time before income can be derived.

Thus the completion date for the construction project, expected in 2003, is of supreme importance. Suij says a delay of four months has been taken into consideration but that further delays will affect the business plan for the project.

Westerscheldetunnel has adopted a slogan ‘Fast, safe and cheap’ to promote the tunnel crossing, summing up the project benefits. Regional business bodies are keen on speeding up the river crossing as a way of developing Zeeuwsch-Vlaanderen both residentially and eventually for new businesses.

Summer traffic increases by up to 20% and accentuates delays in waiting for ferries. Offpeak crossings are limited to an hourly service at evenings and weekends, with none at night. And a fixed link would never be troubled by bad weather as with the ferry.

Safe

General director of NV Westerscheldetunnel, Tin Buis, points out that use of a tunnel is basically safer than several ferries in busy marine conditions. The River Westerschelde currently carries 45,000 ship movements with 40,000 ferry passages cutting across them.

The tunnel structure and operation will be ‘Category 1’ in terms of internationmal safety grading allowing all loads except LPG and nuclear materials to be accepted with escorts. This will be important to traffic from industrial areas. Therefore an important feature of the construction will be a fire-resistant concrete lining.

Cheap

Early proposals for a fixed crossing on the route of the Kruiningen-Perkpolder ferry and an immersed tube tunnel were dropped mainly as being economically unfeasible, as well as for technical difficulties. Current traffic forecasts present a much better picture for the bored tunnel alternative. Buis reports that a research study forecast traffic to reach 12,000 vehicles/day by 2003 from the present 8,500. Depending on harbour development programmes, local truck traffic is expected to be increasingly important, but the tunnel design capacity of 27,000 vehicles/day will be plenty.

To allay fears of current ferry users on charges, the tunnel average toll is expected to be DFl 11.75 ($5.02) at 2003 prices. Gaston Suij explained that as the actual level of users become apparent various incentive fares might be introduced including a season ticket or other loyalty scheme. However there will be much less than the 23 categories now used for the ferries. This is mainly to facilitate automatic toll collection with tags or transponders.

The marketing programme will differentiate between the needs of commercial truck operators and private car drivers, with appropriate incentives for each.

All parties to the project are also keen to emphasise the improvement in cultural, medical, social and educational opportunities for the population on both sides of the river.

Three track

The financial position is only one of three ‘tracks’ for project monitoring and auditing, as Suij explained. The others are environmental and functional. The environmental programme includes the environmental impact study, choice of routes, and interference with other activities.

The functional track includes feasibility of construction and comparison of crossing methods, while the financial track covers the means of finance to start the project, to run tunnel operation and the returns expected.

Commenting on future regional and international development to be generated by the Westerscheld tunnel, Buis said: “The tunnel is just a part; just a start of it.” Connections to motorways in the east of Zeeland will be improved as should traffic flow between Gent in Belgium and Europoort (Rotterdam).