Preparation for modifications to Michiel de Ruijter Tunnel

In November 2020, modifications to Amsterdam's Michiel de Ruijter Tunnel will begin. It will be a mega job. That is only partly caused by the work itself. Much bigger is the challenge of carrying out this work while keeping the tunnel open to traffic during the day.

The Michiel de Ruijter Tunnel is part of the Amsterdam Road Tunnels Approach Program. 

It is the first of the three tunnels and the traffic control center that the City of Amsterdam is overhauling. The work ahead is to improve the fire resistance of the concrete, replace the cameras and adjust the control of the installations. The work is being carried out by ENGIE Infra & Mobility, in cooperation with the Program AWA, the tunnel operator and the maintenance contractor. They are preparing the work in a construction team.

A major thoroughfare

In 2017, a Ministry of I&W study found that tunnels completed after 2008 may have reduced fire resistance. After heat tests, this was also found to be the case with the Michiel de Ruijter Tunnel. Reason enough to fit the tunnel with fire-resistant plates and immediately take care of cameras and installations. But the Michiel de Ruijtertunnel lies under De Ruijterkade, on the north side of Central Station, is part of the S100 and is an important east-west connection. Closing this important traffic link is actually impossible.

Demonstrable safety

The consequences for the execution of the work are great. Daan Seesing, Project Manager Amsterdam: "Execution is only possible if the tunnel is closed every night for nine months. This means that the construction site must be set up every night at 10 p.m. and dismantled again at 6 a.m. in the morning while safety is demonstrably guaranteed. Together with ENGIE Infra & Mobility, we are now translating the Final Design into a Feasible Design and doing the work preparation." 

Construction team approach

In the process, parties leave nothing to chance. Time planning, safety measures and spare parts are under the magnifying glass time and again. Seesing: "We even play a 'serious game' with all parties, specially developed to provide insight. It is precisely this approach with the entire construction team that feels good. I don't know how we could have managed this without a construction team."

Synergy

Jelmer Wittebol, project manager of ENGIE Infra & Mobility, underscores that view. "We now have the knowledge and experience of the municipality of Amsterdam, the know-how of the maintenance contractor and our own. If there is synergy anywhere it is in this construction team. 70% of all occurring issues are discussed with one or more partners."

It is unique for this form of cooperation to be entered into at the preparatory stage. Initially, the coronavirus still threw a spanner in the works, but the parties found their way around that. "We are now - remotely - in the same room. That way everyone hears what is going on. This is the best way to prepare before we actually start working in the tunnel."