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The Princess Beatrix Lock in Nieuwegein is the largest monumental inland navigation lock in the Netherlands and is located in the Lek Canal. This canal is the main direct connection between the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. Because more and more and larger ships are using the Lek Canal, the Princess Beatrix Lock is threatening to become a bottleneck. This is why Sas van Vreeswijk, commissioned by Rijkswaterstaat, is constructing a 3rd column, building additional berths and widening the Lek Canal.
With a length of at least 276 meters and a width of 25 meters, the Princess Beatrix Lock will be suitable for ships up to CEMT class Vb with a draught of up to 4 meters. Since September 2016, the Belgian/Dutch contractor combination Sas van Vreeswijk has been working on implementing the project. We speak with project director EPC (Engineering, Procurement & Construction) Koenraad van Regenmortel, of Jan De Nul Group.
By February 2019, the new flume will be operational.
Third flume now fully built and finished
"Within Sas van Vreeswijk are the companies Besix Group, RebelValley, TDP, Heijmans and Jan De Nul Group. The combination is responsible for designing, building and financing the new lock chamber and widening the Lek Canal, as well as maintaining the renovated lock complex for 27 years. Construction started in the fall of 2016 and is being carried out by Besix, Heijmans and Jan De Nul. "Right now, we are pretty much finished with the construction and are finishing the access to the lock," Van Regenmortel explained. "Also, we are now working on the industrial automation, especially the control of the lock gates, installing all the supporting networks with great attention to redundancy and developing and testing the necessary operating and safety software. The credo of the combination is to build a safe, but also highly reliable lock with high availability for inland navigation. Therefore, we are building a lock, not with two or three doors, but with four doors. The four rolling doors were installed in August and September, including the motors, butterfly valves and penstock. The first tests with the software and the actual control of the doors are now being done, everything is being CE-approved for opening."
'The White Cottages' restored to its former glory
In February 2019, the new gully will be operational. Van Regenmortel: "Once we have opened the new gully, we will renovate the old gullies one by one. This renovation consists of a complete replacement of the drive at the top of the lift towers. Also, the old eastern brakes will be removed, the current control building that is not part of the original monument will be demolished as well as some concrete repairs. This work should be completed by the summer."
The renovation plan takes into account the history of the Princess Beatrix Lock. Near the lock complex are the so-called "White Houses. "These used to be service houses of Rijkswaterstaat personnel. We chose to preserve these cottages and restore them to their former glory. These cottages are now being equipped to operate the renovated lock complex," Van Regenmortel continued. "The new flume is designed as a cut in the landscape to preserve the unobstructed view of the monumental lift towers of the old flumes. The whole thing will regain its original monumental appearance." A notable fact: Rijkswaterstaat awarded Sas van Vreeswijk a prize for landscape integration because of the respect shown for history and the environment.
The lock chamber and canal north.
Historic elements New Dutch Waterline spared
Along the Lekkanaal there were historical elements that are part of the Nieuwe Hollandse Waterlinie (NHW). Due to the widening of the Lek Canal and the construction of the third column, these elements had to be relocated. Van Regenmortel explains the feat, which took place in 2017: "We did everything possible to move this unique military heritage intact. This was also important not to jeopardize the NHW's nomination as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With Mammoet as subcontractor, we moved a total of three casemates, a small lock, a culvert head and a pile group. A very laborious operation, but unique and very successful."
Attention to people, animals and the environment
In order to cause as little disruption as possible, the walls of the third flume were built with diaphragm walls. This is a vibration-free way of working. "When noise nuisance did occur, we informed nearby residents in advance. This was the case, for example, during the installation of the long sheet piles for the lock heads."
Another challenge was to minimize disturbance to bat habitat. There are bat boxes here and there in the area and the lock complex is a crossing zone. Says Van Regenmortel, "Since bats are only active in the evening and at night, they could be greatly disturbed by the lighting of the lock complex. To prevent this, we spent a long time looking for 'bat-friendly lighting,' which on the one hand does not scare away the bats, but on the other hand provides sufficient light for the lock operators. In this, too, we succeeded."
A 'marriage' of 27 years
In February, the third column will be put into operation, after which renovation of the old locks will begin. Van Regenmortel outlines, "In the summer of 2019, the entire complex will be completed, including the renovated old locks. Since the start of work in 2016, Sas van Vreeswijk has already been responsible for the maintenance of the existing complex, after completion we, together with Agidens and Martens en Van Oord, will be responsible for the maintenance of the renovated complex for a period of 27 years."
