Immersed tunnel Amsterdam

Immersed tunnel Amsterdam

The city of Amsterdam is divided in two by the IJ river. As this is a busy shipping lane, no bridges connect the two parts of the city. Instead, on average 45.000 pedestrians and cyclists cross the IJ by ferry.

Arthe Civil & Structure has made a preliminary  design for a pedestrian/cyclist tunnel beneath the river IJ. The crossing was designed as an immersed tunnel, allowing ships to pass freely. The objective was to provide a feasible and desirable alternative for the bridge suggested by the municipality of Amsterdam.

Converting the dry dock into a spacious tunnel entrance

The tunnel has a total length of 360 m, with two immersed elements of 85 m each. The rest of the tunnel is a cut and cover construction. Special attention was required to make a socially safe design, with two fitting entrances in the city centre. Artist impressions were made of both interior and exterior of the tunnel.

A temporary dry dock for the construction of the tunnel elements can be re-used as part of a multi-functional entrance building, using the extra space for some much needed shops or services. A construction planning, and cost estimate were added to the design to determine feasibility.