Creative solutions for challenging demolition and renovation projects

Van der Jagt Group has been a versatile specialist for 65 years. Infrastructure contractors and contractor combinations at home and abroad appreciate the creative and innovative character of the family business. For example, Van der Jagt Groep made the difference in widening the A9 motorway between Badhoevedorp and Holendrecht, on the Oosterweel link around Antwerp and in repairing the rising concrete in part of the Prinses Margriettunnel in the A7 between Sneek and Joure.

We exist exactly 65 years this year, says Adriaan van der Jagt. "That in itself is a milestone. We are a close-knit family business with a motivated team of over eighty employees. Together we make the difference. We are strong in drilling, sawing, demolition and pile driving on large civil projects. When things get serious or complex, they ring our bell. The bigger or more complex a project, the more interesting we find it. Whereas we used to be known mainly as an 'SOS service', nowadays we are involved as a full partner in a project at an early stage to make a difference here too. We like to think along in optimizations."

Hydrodemolition

One of the projects where Van der Jagt Group is now a familiar face is the widening of the A9. "Virtually all our disciplines come together on this project. We are here daily with quite a club to drill many thousands of holes and cut kilometers of concrete," says Adriaan. "We also use the so-called hydrodemolition here, a relatively new technique. When renovating or expanding a work of art, a section is often demolished first. In this process it is desirable, and even a requirement from the Department of Public Works, that the existing reinforcement remains intact. Traditional demolition creates hairline cracks in the concrete and may damage or bend the existing reinforcement. With hydrodemolition this is not an issue. We therefore see a growing market for this innovative technique, especially in view of the large-scale replacement and renovation task."

Degraded tension anchors

Another special project calling on the creativity of the Van der Jagt Group is the Princess Margriet Tunnel in the A7 motorway. In late 2022, the tunnel was closed to traffic due to rising concrete tunnel sections. Investigations revealed that the problem was caused by broken tension anchors, which caused a tunnel leg to be pushed up by groundwater. "We are re-establishing the anchorage in a very special way. First, we drill a hole of around 500 mm to a depth of 40 centimeters in the structure. A valve is placed on this, after which we drill through that valve the entire floor, a package more than 2 meters thick. Once we are through that, we close the hole with the valve to prevent groundwater from rising. And we repeat that "trick" about 1,500 times. A challenging and quite complex project, where once again we make the difference."

If it's big, complex or special, clients in the Netherlands and Belgium have come to the right place with Van der Jagt Groep, Adriaan summarizes. "That's what makes us happy. With our various entities, we always come up with a suitable and safe solution."