In the 1960s, the company became part of the consortium that delivered one of Belgium's most ambitious infrastructure projects: the Kennedytunnel. Completed in 1969, it created a permanent connection between the left and right banks of the Scheldt and transformed mobility in and around Antwerp.

Building a tunnel beneath the wide, tidal Scheldt posed significant engineering challenges. To cross the river's sandy and silty subsoil while ensuring watertightness, the project used immersed tunnel technology. Five concrete tunnel elements were constructed in a dedicated dock before being floated into position and immersed onto the riverbed. The tunnel accommodated road traffic, rail traffic and cyclists in a single structure.

The Kennedytunnel demonstrated how expertise developed through decades of dredging, hydraulic engineering and marine construction could be applied to complex infrastructure projects. More than fifty years later, that expertise continues to shape Antwerp. The Kennedytunnel demonstrated how expertise developed through decades of dredging, hydraulic engineering and marine construction could be applied to complex infrastructure projects. More than fifty years later, DEME is once again working beneath the Scheldt on the Oosterweel Link, showing how the know-how behind the Kennedytunnel continues to evolve.