The Port of Antwerp will expand its truck capacity by increasing the number of parking spaces available on the left bank of Scheldt to prevent container congestion.
In a statement, the Port said the Parking Ketenis will have 280 places with all the necessary facilities for truckers.
In addition, the car park serves as an overflow car park if the queues at one or more terminals would become too long.
The car park will be located between the Ketenislaan and the Scheldt, just north of the Kallo lock and will open in the spring of 2022.
Parking Ketenis will open with 280 parking places for trucks. This can be expanded by another 90 places.
Truckers will find sufficient and regularly maintained sanitary facilities, showers and WIFI, but also, for example, vending machines with drinks and food. There will also be underground waste containers.
The car park is lit and separated from the road by a fence. The number of free places is included in the same app as the car parks along the Flemish motorways.
The car park will have an awning with solar panels to generate its own electricity. A lot of greenery is also provided on and around the car park.
The Port said it has been looking for a suitable place to build a truck parking space on the left bank of the Scheldt for some time. Firstly, to meet the truck drivers’ needs for a safe place to rest and adequate sanitary facilities.
In addition, the car park can also serve as an overflow car park if the queues at the gates of one or more terminals would become too long.
Ultimately, the site on Ketenislaan turned out to be the most suitable option. Preparatory works started last month and the real construction of the car park will start on 19 April.
The Port is investing $8.32 million (€7 million) in the Ketenis car park and another 0.5 million in an upgrade of the truck parking on the right bank (Goordijk).
The project is supported by the European fund ‘Connecting Europe Facility’.
