Kennedy Tunnel

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The Kennedy Tunnel is an important road tunnel to the south of Antwerp under the Schelde River. The tunnel forms a part of Highway R1, the not yet completed inner ring motorway surrounding the city. Opened to road traffic on 31 May 1969, and to rail traffic on 1 February 1970, the tunnel was named after John F Kennedy, the thirty-fifth US President.

In effect, the Kennedy Tunnel consists of four parallel tunnels. Two road tunnels, 14.25 meters wide, each sufficient for three lanes of traffic, run on either side of a 4 meter wide bicycle tunnel. Fifteen meters below sea level there is a rail tunnel 10.5 meters wide.

The tunnel was the scene of a particularly severe fatal traffic accident in October 2006, since when traffic speed during working hours has been restricted to 70 km/h, rather than to the higher 100 km/h limit applicable on the rest of the Antwerp Inner Ring Road.

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