Zelzate (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – The Zelzate and Debbauts Tunnels in Belgium will close from 9 p.m. Friday, Aug 22, 2025, to 4 a.m. Saturday, Aug 23, 2025, to connect 1,500 solar panels at Zelzate-West, said Jef Schoenmaekers.
As VRT News reported, the Debbauts Tunnel and the Zelzate Tunnel, located in East Flanders, Belgium, will be closed to traffic from 9 p.m. on Friday, August 22, 2025, until 4 a.m. on Saturday, August 23, 2025. The closure is required to connect a new solar panel installation to the tunnels’ electricity.
In recent months, about 1,500 solar panels have been installed at the Zelzate-West complex, which lies between the R4 ring road and the E34 motorway entrance toward Antwerp. The electricity from these panels will power the tunnels’ essential systems, including lighting, ventilation fans, and water pumps.
How will the new solar panels keep the Zelzate and Debbauts tunnels safe and sustainable?
Jef Schoenmaekers of the Roads and Traffic Agency explains that during this period without power, the lighting, fans, and water pumps in the tunnels will not work. These systems are essential for safe driving, and without them, it is impossible for vehicles to pass safely.
“Work on the tunnel lighting itself is also taking place that same night,
says Schoenmaekers.
By combining both measures, the disruption will be limited to one night.”
The drivers, during the tunnel closure, can use the R4 Ghent ring road and the nearby Zelzate Bridge. Officials mentioned that anyone travelling cross-country from the coastline back inland or travelling much longer distances should divert to the E17 and E40 to avoid the delays. The tunnels will reopen on Saturday, August 23, at 4 a.m., and then the traffic will return to normal without any more interruptions throughout the day.
The solar-powered rail tunnel near Antwerp which was completed in 2011. In this project, 16,000 solar panels were installed on the roof of a 3.6-kilometre stretch of high-speed rail tunnel. This installation generates approximately 3.3 megawatt-hours of electricity annually, enough to power 4,000 trains per year and reduce 2,400 tons of CO₂ emissions annually.
