From 2025, drivers of passenger cars and motorcycles will no longer have to pay tolls to drive through the Western Scheldt Tunnel. Outgoing Minister Mark Harbers of Infrastructure and Water Management (VVD) signed an agreement on Monday about the tunnel that connects the Zeeland islands of South Beveland and Zeeland Flanders. The government is releasing 140 million euros to compensate for the missed toll. Trucks still have to pay tolls, because no money has yet been made available for this. “This is a long-cherished wish of the people of Zeeland and it is great that we can now (…) make that wish come true,” Harbers said about the agreements.
Several administrators and entrepreneurs have emphasized the importance of a free tunnel for the economy and accessibility of Zeeland. More than a year ago, a majority of the House of Representatives agreed to make the tunnel toll-free sooner than 2033 – which was the idea in the first place. When the tunnel was built, it was assumed that tolls would be collected for thirty years (until 2033) to recoup construction costs. A return ticket through the tunnel now costs a motorist ten euros, unless he or she has a season ticket. A spokesperson for the ministry said that money had already been made available in the previous coalition agreement to compensate toll revenues for the period 2030-2033. The province of Zeeland has now been promised that the government must look for a solution if the next cabinet makes a different decision about these last three years.
Before the Western Scheldt Tunnel opened in 2003, the Zeeland islands were connected by ferries. Now there is only a ferry for pedestrians and cyclists, but no longer for cars. On average we use about 21,000 drivers the tunnel.