Standby recovery operator at Velser Tunnel in double quick time

Monday 17 October 2016
Standby services on the 20 kilometre section of road around the Velser Tunnel have brought about a reduction in incident arrival times of almost ten minutes. Smits Kraan- en Sleepbedrijf from Haarlem achieved an average arrival time of 9:35 minutes between July and September, for a total of 71 recoveries. Over the same period in 2015, the average arrival time had been 19:22 minutes. These figures have not been corrected for delays as a result of congestion.

Ron Otte of Smits Kraan- en Sleepbedrijf by the Velser Tunnel (photograph: Zalmiy Paeez)

On 15 April of this year, the Velser Tunnel was closed to traffic in both directions, to allow for extensive renovation work. Since that date, traffic has been redirected through the nearby Wijker tunnel. To guarantee the flow of traffic on this route, Rijkswaterstaat arranged for a recovery vehicle to be stationed at both tunnel entrances during the morning and afternoon rush hour periods. The vehicles are kept on standby for immediate callout in the event of an incident. The standby services are provided by the IM recovery operator contracted for that section of road.

Employees of Installatiebedrijf SPIE Nederland in the Velser Tunnel

The Velser Tunnel was opened in 1957, making it the oldest motorway tunnel in the Netherlands. At a height of 4.18 metres, it was also the lowest motorway tunnel in the country, leading to considerable traffic nuisance. Over the past few years, traffic had to be halted on average three times a day, for oversized trucks. The wiring and safety systems in the tunnel were also in need of replacement.

The Velser Tunnel in 1957

The renovated Velser Tunnel is due to be opened in January 2017, and will have a new height of 4.30 metres. Until that time, Smits will have a vehicle on standby twice a day, on both sides of the North Sea Canal.