A bypass for river IJssel: Room for the River

More space is also being created for the rivers by deepening the riverbeds and even constructing bypasses. At the same time, Rijkswaterstaat is improving spatial quality and nature development in these areas. The Room for the River Program has 36 subprojects, with the construction of the Reevediep, a bypass in the IJssel delta near Kampen, as the latest.

Two major measures are being taken in the IJssel Delta to regulate the high water of the IJssel. A new water connection between the IJssel and the Drontermeer, the Reevediep, will ensure that the water can soon use a so-called 'bypass' - in addition to the existing river bed. In addition, the capacity of the IJssel will be increased by deepening the summer bed. The work is already at an advanced stage.   

Once the Reeve lock complex is completed and the dikes are raised, the Roggebot lock and the IJssel dike will be removed and the IJssel can follow its new path at high water.

Earthworks and artworks

The work is being carried out by Isala Delta, the combination of Boskalis and Van Hattum and Blankevoort. While Boskalis is carrying out the ground, road and water works and nature development, Van Hattum en Blankevoort is taking care of the engineering works, including the inlet system, bridges, locks and pumping stations. Together they are responsible for this major project. 

The overall project

Over more than seven kilometers - between the Molenbrug and the Eilandbrug - the bed of the IJssel has been deepened, with mooring guards installed in front of the pillars of the city bridge. The floodplains in Scherenwelle and Zalkerbosch have been redesigned to promote flora and fauna. In the Onderdijkse Waard, the Scheeresluis has been constructed for recreational navigation in the Reevediep. Near Wilsum begins the new eight-kilometer long bypass of the IJssel, the Reevediep, protected on both sides by dikes and provided with a channel for recreational boating. In the middle, the bridge Nieuwendijk provides an opportunity to cross the new Reevediep. And finally, in the entire delta the spatial quality has been improved. New hiking, strolling and cycling paths appear everywhere, as well as facilities for recreational boating.

Natura 2000 area

As much as implementation depends on modern development programs and powerful equipment, the idea is not new. In 1821, King William I put virtually the same plan on paper. "There is now more attention to the flora and fauna in the area, though," says Robert Bosma, Isala Delta project manager. "To ensure biodiversity, part of the area has been qualified as a 'Natura 2000' area. For example, the breeding period of the great reed warbler and bittern has been taken into account, and where reeds have been removed, they have been compensated elsewhere."

Obtained with D&C contract

Isala Delta obtained the contract with a D&C contract, awarding the project primarily on the Economic Most Advantageous Tender (EMVI) criteria of "planning" and "spatial quality. Isala Delta both designed and implemented the solutions in collaboration with its client.