Rijkswaterstaat awards contract for enlargement of Netherlands’ Twente canals

The Rijkswaterstaat, the executive agency of the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management, has awarded the final phase of the enlargement of the Twente canals to a consortium of Van Oord, Hakkers, and Beens.

By enlarging the waterway, the ports of Almelo, Hengelo, and Enschede will be more easily accessible and larger vessels will be able to sail through more safely and smoothly. The work will start in the spring of 2021 and will last until the end of December 2022.

The consortium will be responsible for enlarging the canal, replacing the current sheet piling over a length of 35 kilometres and applying a self-sealing layer at the bottom of the canal. The consortium will also create 13 kilometres of nature-friendly banks.