German solidity in dragline bulkheads during construction of Blankenburg connection

Dragline bulkheads are being used in the construction of the Blankenburg connection, which connects the A20 near Vlaardingen and the A15 near Rozenburg via the new A24 freeway. These bulkheads are manufactured just across the border in Germany and are unique of their kind. Partly because they are made of completely sustainable tropical hardwood. 

Dragline mats are available in all types, sizes, and qualities. However, the products from Ko-Mats, just across the border in Bad Bentheim, Germany, are distinctive for several reasons. "Our dragline bulkheads are made of 100 percent Azobé, a tropical hardwood from Africa with optimal properties. We buy this from certified suppliers in the Netherlands," explains Mike Schong, sales manager at Ko-Mats. "It is a particularly hard wood, very durable, moisture-resistant, very heavy and hard-wearing. Extremely suitable to serve as an access road, for water works or as a surface for heavy equipment."

Automated

The production company manufactures dragline bulkheads from 3 to 8 meters long, 1 meter wide and in three different thickness sizes (100, 150 and 200 millimeters) and has large stocks of everything, allowing for quick delivery. Schong: "The production process is fully automated. The wood arrives at our factory. There we mill it to length and turn it into dragline partitions by pressing them together under 130 bar using steel pins. Then they undergo some processing that is characteristic of our products."

Blankenburg Link

So are the 300 dragline bulkheads that Ko-Mats made especially for the construction of the Blankenburg connection. The new highway of two times three lanes will connect the A15 near Rozenburg with the A20 near Vlaardingen. Part of it consists of a tunnel running under the Scheur. The A24 should be ready in 2024. Construction consortium BAAK is constructing the connection on behalf of Rijkswaterstaat. "We supplied bulkheads of 6 and 8 meters long, 1 meter wide and 20 centimeters thick for this purpose. They will be used here for ramps and as surfaces for piling cranes and pile drivers. The bulkheads are equipped with a peg groove and are planed all around to improve the service life of the dragline bulkheads. We also painted the ends in the RAL color of BAAK and milled in a capital B. For recognition in the field!"