A major setback for motorists and for Rijkswaterstaat. The restoration of the Princess Margriet tunnel on the A7 between Sneek and Joure will take a year longer.
Instead of the end of 2024, the work will not be completed until the end of 2025, Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management reported in a letter to Parliament on Thursday.
There are several causes for the delay, according to the minister. For example, Rijkswaterstaat uses a new restoration method (with so-called locks) that has never been applied on this scale. That takes some getting used to.
Drilling also takes more time. This requires additional measures. Later in the process, preventive ballast is placed in the tunnel, such as road plates and concrete blocks. That requires more ‘dragging’ and therefore time.
Additional scaffolding
In addition, additional scaffolding is required to work properly. These take up space and this is at the expense of the workspace for installing the anchor posts. “The support structure therefore has a major logistical influence on the progress of the recovery work,” Harbers writes.
The most important jobs must be completed by September 2025. This is followed by the final phase: jointing and asphalting. The intention is that the complete repair will be completed by the end of 2025.
‘Disappointment’
“It is a setback for road users and the environment that these works are taking longer than previously expected,” the minister concludes. ‘Rijkswaterstaat will do everything it can to keep inconvenience to a minimum and to speed up the work where possible.’
Completely closing the Princess Margriet Tunnel, as happened in the first months, is now no longer an option, says Rijkswaterstaat spokesperson Anne van der Meer. “That would work much faster, but we have agreed with the municipalities and the province that the tunnel will remain open.”
Van der Meer calls the work and the delays annoying, but notes that in practice the inconvenience is not too bad. “There are only some delays during the morning and evening rush hours. That’s not too bad. And no major accidents have happened yet. People are quite used to this traffic situation.”
