Local knowledge crucial in levee reinforcement project

KWS, a VolkerWessels company, is best known in our country as a market leader in road construction and producer of asphalt. The company now derives a significant portion of its turnover from dike reinforcement projects. In the Markermeer dikes project, KWS' local knowledge comes in handy thanks to its decentralized organizational structure with regional branches. An interview with Pieter Kaars, Integral Realization Manager on behalf of KWS in the Markermeer Dikes Alliance.

"Back in 2015, we tendered together with Boskalis and VolkerWessels company Van Hattum and Blankevoort for the dike reinforcement project Markermeerdijken," Kaars begins. "We as a combination formed the winning tender. A unique partnership was then set up to tackle this complex project in the right way. Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier is not only the client of the Alliance, but, as a public party, works closely with us within the Alliance."   

KWS now has the necessary experience in dike reinforcement projects. "Together with Boskalis, we previously completed the dike reinforcement on Texel for HHNK and for Waterschap Noorderzijlvest the Ommelanderdiek in which the nearly twelve kilometer long sea dike between Eemshaven and Delfzijl was reinforced. We are also currently active in various construction teams for Waterschap Scheldestromen, for example, in which we are reinforcing 5.2 kilometers of dike at Hansweert in Zeeland, and for Waterschap Vallei en Veluwe we are reinforcing the Noordelijke Randmeerdijk."

Local knowledge

KWS is thus increasingly focusing on dike reinforcement projects. Kaars: "Nationwide, we are involved in more and more HWBP projects and, with our subsidiaries HollandScherm and Aquavia, we are strong in the realization and maintenance of large and small-scale water works. Such as the repair, renovation and replacement of locks, brakes, bridges and quays. 

So we have long since ceased to be just a road construction company, but we do benefit from our decentralized organizational structure with regional branches throughout the country. The Markermeer dikes are largely handled by our Amsterdam-Utrecht branch. That pays off, both in design and execution, because we approach the project with people who are locally familiar and mostly from the region. From project leader to the crane operator outside on the job. An absolute advantage in this project, given the poor soil conditions. Building on peat requires a substantially different approach than building on sandy soil. In addition, we can use the network of VolkerWessels companies for various specializations and, of course, we also rely on our own engineering firms KWS@vice and Aveco de Bondt with great expertise in hydraulic engineering projects." 

Logistical puzzle

The project is characterized by numerous challenges. "Apart from the design challenges, the outside is mainly a big logistical puzzle," Kaars knows. "Because we want to spare the area with small villages, dike and polder roads as much as possible, we chose to carry out the project mainly from the water. To this end, a number of fairways and unloading ramps have been created along the entire route. In fact, they form the arteries of the project to process the huge quantities of raw materials and transfer the equipment." A brief summary: a total of 8,000,000 m³ sand supplied, 300,000 tons of quarry stone, nearly 1,000,000 m³ of clay, 170,000 m² concrete columns and 115,000 m² of final pavement (excluding co-occurrence opportunities). "Thanks to our good contacts in the market, together with Boskalis, we can do an excellent job of fulfilling these enormous quantities. Apart from the floating equipment required in this type of work, once we are above water, our own traditional earthmoving equipment comes in handy. In doing so, we proceed with extreme care. The embankments are applied very evenly and often monitored in real time through pore pressure gauges, slope measuring tubes and pocket beacons."

Digitization

"As KWS, we are used to organizing and directing infrastructure projects of size in an integral manner," Kaars summarizes. "We have proven that, for example, with SAAone and now also here on the Markermeer dikes. We use our own digital VolkerWessels systems for systems engineering and digital inspection, and all employees from excavator to project director for safety use our WAVE app. In combination with the local knowledge that proved to be of great value in this project and the specialists of KWS@vice and Aveco de Bondt, we were also able to meet the challenges at the front end. That is now paying off handsomely in practice."