There is no longer a single facade panel on the south and north ends of the Overcingel tunnel in Assen. The natural stone decorative plates were all removed from the tunnel by BAM Infra last night. As a precaution, to prevent any loose plates from threatening to collapse on car traffic, with all the consequences that entails.
The car tunnel under the station square was suddenly closed yesterday just before rush hour. During the weekly inspection, a BAM employee discovered that two decorative plates on the north side of the tunnel were loose. They were immediately removed. But it was reason for the construction company to inspect everything more closely right away.
Ultimately, for safety reasons, it was decided to remove all natural stone facade panels from both the north and south sides of the tunnel. The job lasted until about eleven o’clock last night.
The dark decorative plates, which were attached transversely to the tunnel head, were one by one pried loose and fell down into a cistern. All plates, more than a hundred pieces, were taken to a landfill for construction products in Westerbroek.
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