The currently available analysis of the impacts of the proposed Blankenburg tunnel made use of the old WLO (‘Welvaart en Leefomgeving’) background scenarios from 2006 (CPB; MNP; RPB, 2006). In the old WLO high-growth scenario the growth of road freight as well as aggregate traffic volumes were substantially higher than in the new (2015) WLO high-growth background scenario.
This study, for the Dutch conservation organization Vereniging Natuurmonumenten, examines how construction of the Blankenburg tunnel will affect traffic volume and nitrogen oxide (NOx) emissions if calculations are based on the new WLO high-growth scenario. Modelling to this end assumed construction of the tunnel as defined in the Routing Decision (the ‘Krabbeplas West’ variant, including a toll charge).