Working as one team in section North of the Juliana Canal

The Juliana Canal has been working hard for months to make it suitable for larger barges. The 4-kilometer stretch is divided into three work sections; North, Middle and South. Section North is the section with the most challenges. Ermers Grondverzet from Nuland is working with eight machines to get the job done.

"It's tough going," says Rick Ermers, third generation within Ermers Grondverzet. "From September last year, we have been working here continuously. We do this in a team with several earthmoving companies on behalf of Van den Herik-Sliedrecht. We excavate the soil, profile it, apply the bentonite mats and finally we apply a gravel layer and a layer of crushed stone."

Family business

Ermers Grondverzet is a family business founded in 1968. The activities are very diverse. From preparing land for building and laying sewers and golf courses to dike improvement and the construction of a new underpass under the A2 motorway. They have extensive and modern machinery, ranging from crawler excavators and wheel loaders to vibratory rollers and bulldozers. They only rent these machines including an experienced and skilled employee.

Eight machines

Rick himself works as a foreman on the work on the Juliana Canal. In addition, Ermers Grondverzet deploys two shovels, four long reach cranes and one regular crane. "We work on small and big projects, but a project like the Juliana Canal is one of the biggest so far. It's really unique what happens here. We work with several contractors here as one team, which makes the work beautiful."