The invisible water carriers in Rotterdam

Container traffic in and to the Port of Rotterdam continues to increase in the coming years. This also applies to the transport of goods by train. To make this growth possible, investments will be made in Rotterdam's railroads in the coming years. 

Until 2027, the development of Emplacement-Maasvlakte Zuid (EMZ), which will be built in stages, is underway. One of the first steps in this process is the installation of culverts, made by Romein Beton. These pioneers will soon be virtually invisible. 

What is a concrete culvert?

A concrete culvert is a tubular element/tunnel used to allow water to pass under (rail) roads, paths or other obstacles. "Culverts are used, among other things, in residential areas for waterways," explains Robert van Dijk of Romein Beton. "These culverts are mostly hidden from view." However, culverts can also be used as ecotunnels, allowing animals to safely cross a road. 

Concrete culverts are made of reinforced concrete. The concrete is good at absorbing compressive forces; the reinforcement absorbs the tensile forces. Romein has concrete culverts of various wall thicknesses and sizes, depending on the application. Most culverts average about 20 to 30 meters in length. "In the case of the Maasvlakte, they involved substantially larger ones, up to 76 meters long," says Romein.

Preload with attachment

First, the joints are filled with shrinkage-preserving casting mortar. Then the tension cables are installed. "In each element, recesses are made for this purpose," he says. This creates an enormously strong whole. "People also call this prestressing construction prestressing with adhesion (VMA). The joint connection is liquid-tight, so no water can seep out."

The concrete company supplied elements for three culverts. "These are culverts of a length of 26, 73 and 76 meters," he said. Because of their weight, the elements had to be transported individually. "Producing elements for culverts is nothing special for us, but this project involved exceptionally large culverts. That does require something in terms of planning, production and assembly." The concrete culverts can be used for a long time, lasting 50 to 100 years. 

The construction of the EMZ not only means a better rail connection from the port to the hinterland. It also delivers sustainability gains. By running 6,750 additional trains annually, 675,000 truck trips can be replaced. 

Learn more: Concretehouse.co.uk 

Advantages of a precast concrete culvert: 

Made of reinforced concrete;
Resistant to very high loads by using good concrete mix;
Easy to assemble;
Large elements available;
Long lifespan of up to one hundred years;
Multi-purpose.