Streetwise with Road maintenance: Exploring Various Options to Mitigate the Effects of Temporary Closure of the Maastunnel in the city of Rotterdam

The Maastunnel is an important connection between the north and the south of Rotterdam. From July 2017 onwards, the tunnel will be partially closed for motorized traffic for two years, due to renovation work. Severe traffic congestion is expected, especially during peak hours. The aim of this thesis is to find out which routes are available for relevant alternative ways of travelling throughout the city other than using the car. The main research question is: Which routes have the highest potential for modal split during the renovation of the Maastunnel? To answer the research question first a literature study is done. Also, an empirical research is done using an explorative research method. This research method is used to gain insight in and understanding of the current traffic situation in Rotterdam and more specifically the traffic situation around the Maastunnel. The data concerns the locations of cameras that detect and register the license plates of the cars driving through the city of Rotterdam and the registrations themselves. The data is organized in matrix tables where origins and destinations are combined. Three days parts have been distinguished: Throughout the whole day, morning peak and evening peak. For every day part the 25 routes with the highest number of cars have been examined for potential alternatives. The research shows that only a few routes have potential to switch form modality, because the travel times deviate the least from travel times by car. For all routes the travel times are higher using public transport than using the car, but the travelling cost are lower. For the water taxi it is the other way around. For the northern as well as the southern direction the most important period to develop policies for is the evening peak. Suggestions are made to achieve a switch of mode of transportation. Further researchers could find out the impact of these suggestions and what is needed to make such a switch happen. The findings of this thesis could be used as a basis for further research on reducing traffic congestion during the closure of the Maastunnel.