the north sea flood of 1953 swamped vast amounts of land. building the protective delta works also changed the face of the province. dams, tunnels and bridges are a vital part of the province's road system. the final touch to this process came in 2003 when the western scheldt tunnel was opened. it was the first solid connection between both banks of the western scheldt and ended the era of water separating the islands and peninsulas of zeeland.