Less disruption and more positive attention. Environmental management at The Green Arch packs quite a punch

Construction consortium De Groene Boog, which includes the companies BESIX, Dura Vermeer, Van Oord, TBI companies Mobilis, Croonwolter&dros, Rebel and John Laing, is building the new A16 Rotterdam, an 11-kilometer-long national highway between the A16/A20 at Terbregseplein and the A13 at Rotterdam The Hague Airport, on behalf of the Department of Public Works. The project has three subareas, with several stand-alone projects within them. 

That De Groene Boog takes environmental management more than seriously is evidenced by the fact that it not only works to cause less disruption, but also actively communicates with the surrounding area. The people from environmental management are 'somewhat married' to the people who are directly confronted with the work around the project. Not always an easy job, especially in places where houses are directly adjacent to the construction pit and residents experience nuisance that cannot be prevented. An interview with Jurian Bakker (Van Oord), environment manager. De Groene Boog and Paul Eijking (Mobilis), environmental consultant subareas 2 and 3.

How to be a good neighbor?

"Less disruption has now become a bit of a catch-all term in the construction world," Jurian concludes. "It is a requirement in every call for tenders. Of course De Groene Boog does everything it can to cause less disruption, for example by initially choosing working methods that cause less disruption. Consider, for example, the nearly 9,000 piles supporting the Rottemer Tunnel. Those were drilled and not driven. But how can you be a good neighbor to everyone who is confronted with the work every day? Now that's a challenge." Paul adds: "You can never do it perfectly for everyone, but you can strive for it. So that was and is our starting point."

An EMVU fund has been established for the immediate area to work with the Department of Public Works to do more for the area. "There is money set aside to be able to do things during the work that we consider necessary or that were not foreseen," says Jurian. Paul explains, "It has to be really worthwhile, we are not talking about solving nuisance caused by negligence on the part of the builders."

Positive perception as an objective

Jurian: "We really want to make people fans of the project. Then we talk about 'branding' in marketing terms. With the goal that people regret it when we leave again," Jurian explains. "So more of a marketing job, but from the bottom of our hearts. Creating a positive experience is a bonus and goes beyond positive building. What do you offer more, is the starting point."

The focal point and also epicenter of the positive experience is the Expo A16 Rotterdam. There, visitors are welcomed in a personal way and everyone receives proper attention. "Sometimes we take people around the construction site. That too is personal attention. Showing them what is happening from the construction side creates almost instant understanding," Jurian says. "Then consider that we are talking about more than 1,000 direct stakeholders and about the 5,000 involved if we count the surrounding residential areas." Paul: "Measurements in the Expo show that we score a fat 9+ with the public. That's measured over about 2,500 visitors per month."

Some examples

Asked for examples of additional steps being taken, we learn the following: A contest was held among schoolchildren to come up with a name for a temporary bridge. Tessa won it, naming it "Highway Bridge. The Green Arch hosted schools in the Expo, organized bus tours for local residents living along the route, flowers were delivered to sick local residents, earplugs and headphones were distributed. A man whose wife was terminally ill informed that the transports made noise in the early morning. Action was taken to reduce that. When his wife died, The Green Bow had a funeral bouquet delivered. Such things do not leave the employees of the contracting company cold. De Groene Boog offered an after-school program, which required pile driving, a fully catered day out to Blijdorp Zoo, including bus fare and packed lunches. 

Just a few examples of how environmental management at the A16 Rotterdam is taking shape. "Surely the power lies in getting to know the people," says Paul. "How do we do that? We literally go into the neighborhood. We ring bells, we talk to people, inform the residents and ask about their experiences." Finally, says Jurian, "Our work starts from: what would we want to know if we lived there and how would we ourselves view the construction."