It will be the first tunnel in Europe with two stacked pairs of tunnel tubes for cars and lorries.
Ballast Nedam and Strukton are contractors for the project. It has taken two years to excavate the 22m-deep pit, with more than 1,400,000m³ of earth, gravel and marl removed. At the peak of excavation, the team deployed over 450 trucks.
While the excavation was still under way, the team started pouring concrete. The objective is to complete the concrete carcass by early 2015. The aim is to take the new tunnel into operation in late 2016.
Besides the A2 tunnel, the overall project also involves 21 new structures in and around Maastricht, including a number of smaller tunnels, viaducts, fly-overs and a bridge. The total investment involved in the A2 Maastricht project amounts to some €1bn (£814m).
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