Van Oord and Boskalis wrap up Houtrib dike project

Van Oord and its partner Boskalis have reinforced the 25-kilometre-long Dutch Houtribdijk with a new rock layer and enormous sand packages.

The dike, which connects the cities of Enkhuizen and Lelystad, was handed over to client Rijkswaterstaat yesterday.

“We have created a new beach near Lelystad especially for windsurfers and kitesurfers and we have developed a new nature reserve, called Trintelzand. It has sand flats, mud flats and reed banks,” reported the contractors.

The dike reinforcement project is part of the Dutch Flood Protection Program, an alliance of Rijkswaterstaat and all district water boards aimed at reinforcing primary dikes in a more innovative and robust manner.

According to the two companies, the reinforced dike is now ready for the future and can deal with storms that occur once every 10 thousand years.

The Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) awarded the EUR 90 million Houtrib dike contract to Van Oord and Boskalis in late 2016.