A consortium of Van Oord and Boskalis signed a contract last week with the Zuiderzeeland Water Board to reinforce the Ijsselmeerdijk dyke between Lelystad and Ketelbrug in the Netherlands.
In a statement, Van Oord said the project will reinforce a section of dyke over 17 kilometres long because it does not currently meet new safety requirements. Approximately 12 kilometres will be reinforced by constructing a foreshore in Lake Ijsselmeer, while the remaining five kilometres will receive traditional reinforcement measures, including raising the dyke.
The contractor consortium will now produce a final design, with work on the dyke expected to commence in 2026. The project is part of the Netherlands' flood protection programme, which aims to make the country "flood-proof" by 2050.
Tom Vereijken, an Executive Board Member of the Zuiderzeeland Water Board, stated that flood safety is, "vital to our low-lying polders." The water board said its call for tenders focused on, "minimising environmental impact, promoting biodiversity and reducing maintenance costs."