The IJtunnel will be closed to all drivers for about a year and a half from July 2027.
The tunnel has been in use since 1968 and is now due for major maintenance.
Project manager Michael Prinsen says its systems are hopelessly outdated and around twenty years old.
Cameras, ventilation and lighting to be replaced
According to Prinsen, the work covers the camera systems, the public address systems, the ventilation and the lighting.
He says the replacements are needed so the tunnel can go on guaranteeing the safety of the drivers who use it.
The closure is expected to have a major impact on traffic.
Drivers question the length of the closure
Some motorists who were asked about the plans reacted with surprise.
One man said he could understand a closure of a month or six weeks, but not one lasting a whole year.
Another said he had no sympathy for the plan, and pointed out that China can build an entire city in the time it will take here to renovate a single tunnel.
For motorists bracing for a long stretch without the IJtunnel, it may be worth thinking about parking on the city’s edge and riding in instead.