'State-of-the-art' bridge designed and built to all new standards and requirements

In another article in this issue, you can read all about the special tender procedure used by the province of South Holland for the project in which the Steekterbrug is being replaced. 

At this moment the tender is in phase 4, the concretization phase. After going through all the assessments set out by Twijnstra & Gudde, the choice fell impartially on the construction consortium Heijmans-Hillebrand, to go through the concretization phase.

Harm Wattel, commercial manager at Hillebrand, explains more. "Hillebrand is active in infra and offshore. Within this project of the province of South Holland, we are responsible for the steelwork, the drive and the total engineering of the bridge and its moving parts. In a unique partnership, we are now working with the province on the design."

A special selection process

"The working method used by the province of South Holland is unique. The assessments were spicy, the vision and plan of approach significantly different, in short a nice way of working. Selection was based on competence, cooperation and behavior. It is important that the core values of all parties fit together. The lowest price is definitely not a core value in this way of working. Working without prejudice resulted in a very pure selection process. All the more proud we are that our combination was chosen."

A wider bridge with more capacity

The new Steekter Bridge should be wider, the infra on the bridge should have more capacity. "It will be a state-of-the-art bridge, designed and built to all new standards and requirements," Wattel explains. "Also unique is the fact that at the front of the chain the maintenance parties are already involved. By being allowed to participate and add knowledge and competencies at the front end in the prcoes, the design can take into account creating the most ideal situation possible once the maintenance phase enters. Again:
Investing on the front end means saving money afterwards."

Now in the design phase

The Steekter Bridge core team and the selected parties are currently in the design phase. "Heijmans is responsible for all the infra around the bridge and on the bridge, for the concrete work and the road structure. Hillebrand is responsible for the movable bridge itself. We are talking about a bascule bridge, electromechanically driven, by means of a Panama wheel crank drive. This is right up our alley; it fits in perfectly with our core business. Just a few years ago we built the Amalia Bridge, a similar type. Incidentally, that was in the same construction consortium and also commissioned by the province of South Holland. How wonderful it is then that we can work together again, within this unique working method."

Heijmans-Hillebrand struck the right chord. "The fact that the province is going for substance is a nice thought," Wattel suggested. "Ultimately that will translate into a lower construction cost, I'm convinced. You get speed and more added value per euro this way. Every euro in this process is spent more efficiently than before. I therefore see a future in this -now still special- way of working. If you can work like this, who wants to have knife on the table meetings about who has what responsibility and who bears the risks? Nobody, I think, if you can also be collectively responsible and work together honestly, for honest money."