ABSTRACT
The Sijtwende project in Voorburg in the vicinity of the Hague, is a unique example of Public Private Partnership (PPP) in the Netherlands. The project incorporates a harmonious integration of a 2 km part of the municipal highway, 900 m light railway, an underground station and 700 houses along the route, applying the principle of multiple space use. A high quality development scheme for the area is the basis for the overall layout. This part of highway Rijksweg 14 is to a large extent incorporated within a tunnel system, surfacing at two locations where it is connected to the local infrastructure at intersections on ground level, guided by a traffic-light system. A special purpose real-time simulation, concentrating on the actual experience of future motorists, was used to assess the optimal layout of the tunnel and the ground level crossings, focusing on safety and traffic management aspects. The environmental impact of traffic through tunnels on nearby houses was investigated thoroughly. The paper will highlight the development, the results of the planning process, and some items of the very successful construction process.
