Country tunnel

The Maastunnel is the oldest immersed tunnel in the Netherlands. It connects the banks of the Nieuwe Maas in Rotterdam. The tunnel includes four tubes: two for cars, one for cyclists and one for pedestrians. Construction started in 1937 and was completed in 1942. More than 75,000 motor vehicles and around 7,000 cyclists and mopeds, in addition to 150 pedestrians, use this tunnel every day.[2] The Maastunnel therefore forms an important link in the Rotterdam road network. There is a speed limit of 50 km/h for fast traffic. The Maastunnel is 3.90 meters high. The previous viaducts in the tunnel traverse, under the Maastunnelplein and the Droogleever Fortuynplein, are 3.60 meters high. It regularly happens that trucks that are too high get stuck under these viaducts.
The architects were J.P. van Bruggen and Ad van der Steur.

These escalators are made of wood, which is very special. The stairs will be overhauled in 2020.

Years of fierce discussions had preceded the construction, between 1898 and 1910. Everyone agreed that a new cross-river connection was necessary, because traffic jams arose in front of the Willemsbrug and the Koninginnebrug. The discussion therefore mainly focused on the question of whether a bridge or tunnel should be built. Ultimately, there was a ferry service for a while that could also transport cars, but this ferry service could not relieve the crowds at the bridges. The municipality of Rotterdam finally got its way at the end of the 1920s: a tunnel turned out to be more financially attractive than a bridge, especially because of the high height, 60 meters, which a bridge should have in order not to hinder shipping traffic.