Last week the Zuiderzeeland Water Board and the contractor consortium of Van Oord and Boskalis signed the contract to reinforce the IJsselmeerdijk. It is the final step in awarding the implementation of this dyke reinforcement project between Lelystad and Ketelbrug. The dyke needs to be reinforced over a length of more than 17 kilometres. The dyke will be sustainably reinforced by constructing a foreshore in Lake IJsselmeer across a length of around 12 km. The remaining 5 km will be reinforced with traditional dyke reinforcement measures, including raising the dyke and replacing the outer dyke revetment. Before work commences on and around the dyke, the contractor consortium will start by producing a final design. 

In addition to flood safety, the Zuiderzeeland Water Board focused its call for tenders on minimising environmental impact (including carbon emissions and circularity), promoting biodiversity and reducing maintenance costs. The tender from the Van Oord and Boskalis contractor consortium is perfectly in line with these parameters.

Executive Board Member Tom Vereijken of the Zuiderzeeland Water Board: ‘After so many years of careful preparation, I am proud that the implementation of this dyke reinforcement project is about to get underway. Flood safety is, after all, vital to our low-lying polders. I look forward with great confidence to working with this experienced consortium of contractors.’

Peter van der Linde, Managing Director of Boskalis Netherlands and Ronald de Geus, Director Dredging & Infra at Van Oord: ‘We are delighted to be awarded the IJsselmeerdijk dyke reinforcement project, in which sustainable execution is a key priority and we can once again put our unique expertise in flood protection into practice. We look forward to a pleasant and successful cooperation with the Zuiderzeeland Water Board.’

The dyke between Lelystad and Ketelbrug does not meet the new safety requirements. While the dyke is considered safe at the moment, the Zuiderzeeland Water Board wants to be assured of a safe dyke in the future as well. In 2019 preparations therefore started for the dyke reinforcement project. The plan development phase has now been completed, in which the design for the dyke reinforcement has been finalised. The Water Board and the Van Oord and Boskalis consortium expect to commence work on and around the dyke in 2026. This project is part of the joint task of the water boards and the national government to make the Netherlands flood-proof by 2050: the Flood Protection Programme (HWBP).