IJmuiden March and April Update

The construction activities on the site of the new sea lock in IJmuiden are moving forward, according to the latest update from the Port of Amsterdam.

In March and April, work will be carried out to the exterior facade of the Lock Operation Centre (SOC); various engineering works will be carried out to complete the lock gates; construction activities are still being carried out to heighten the walls of the inner lock head; and builders are also busy with the construction of the lock sill of the inner head.

The port said that the concrete pouring operations to the floor of the lock sill cofferdam of the outer head have also been completed.

Completion of the lock gates

The three lock gates arrived in the port of Amsterdam by the end of January.

One of the gates has been moored in a temporary location in the lock chamber of the new sea lock at IJmuiden (number 5 in the picture) and will be fitted out on-site.

The other two gates have been towed to a quay of Open IJ’s logistics center in the Alaskahaven in Amsterdam.

Completion work consists of the installation of hydraulic systems and all electrical installations.

Lock sill cofferdam

At a depth of approximately 21 meters, builders of Open IJ are working on the construction of the lock sill of the inner head. The inner lock gate (which sits on roller carriages) runs on rails fixed onto the lock sill for closing and opening.

The lock sill cofferdam is almost entirely surrounded by water which makes it difficult to reach. To enable the construction process and make it run more efficiently, Open IJ has built a traverse on top of the lock sill cofferdam, according to the update.

The traverse is a kind of mobile platform construction moving on rails on top of the cofferdam and a crane is placed on top of the mobile platform.