Western Scheldt

The Westerschelde in the province Zeeland in the southwestern Netherlands, is an estuary of the Scheldt river. It is an important shipping route to Antwerp, Belgium. Therefore, unlike the other sea arms, it is not closed by a dam as part of the Delta Works. Instead, the dykes around it have been heightened and reinforced.

Westerschelde Tunnel [1]

Mid-March 2003, a tunnel under the Westerschelde was opened, the Westerschelde Tunnel, from Ellewoutsdijk (mun. Borsele) in Zuid-Beveland to Terneuzen in Zeeuws-Vlaanderen. It is the longest road traffic tunnel of the Netherlands. The toll fee is € 4 for cars and motor cycles. Motor cyclists have protested against the fact that their fee is the same as for cars.

The tunnel is not accessible for pedestrians or cyclists, but there will be a bus service, possibly with a trailer for bicycles. New public transport nodes will be Tolplein (mun. Borsele) on the north bank and Terneuzen Busstation on the south bank. Bus services through these nodes will be:

• Bus 50: between Middelburg and Hulst
• Bus 20: between Goes and Zelzate (Belgium)

Bus passengers do not have to pay a supplement over the regular bus tariff.

Ferry [2]

The ferry between Flushing and Breskens (mun. Sluis), formerly a car ferry, is now accessible for pedestrians and cyclists only. It is now operated by BBA Fast Ferries Zeeland, part of Connex, first with the existing ships, from March 2004 with catamarans. The ferry Kruiningen-Perkpolder has been discontinued.