A combination of BESIX, Dura Vermeer, Van Oord, John Laing, Rebel and TBI, named ‘De Groene Boog’ will be responsible for designing, building and pre-financing the new ring road of northern Rotterdam. De Groene Boog’s tender is energy neutral, innovative and it fits into the environment seamlessly.
De Groene Boog will be responsible for designing, building and pre-financing the project as well as managing a twenty-year maintenance period. Construction is expected to start in early 2019. By the end of 2024, the A16 will reopen to traffic. The contract is expected to be signed in May, while the financing should be completed by June. The project value lies around 984 million euro.
Minister of Infrastructure and Water Van Nieuwenhuizen says: “This is a great step towards the start of the construction of the A16 in Rotterdam. This completely new, energy netural road in northern Rotterdam will ensure a better traffic flow on the A13 and the A20 in an important economic region.”
Project Director of De Groene Boog Harbert van der Wildt says: ‘We are thrilled to have won the tendering process. After 15 months of working on the plan, we consider it a privilege to construct and maintain our energy neutral road. We have high expectations of our digital twin TWIN-16, which will create an identical digital project. Its purpose is to prevent unnecessary mistakes and to guarantee a perfect coordination with Rijkswaterstaat and the environment.”
Three different consortia submitted tenders in early 2018. Following the provisional award, made known to candidates on 8 March 2018, the consortia that were not awarded the contract did not object during the so-called Alcatel period.
Rijkswaterstaat selected the consortium’s tender because it offered good value for money, also known as the ‘Most Economically Advantageous Tender’ (MEAT). The MEAT approach makes better use of the innovative power and creativity of the market. Rijkswaterstaat assessed the various tenders on such criteria as 'sustainability', 'risk management' and 'nuisance reduction'.
Traffic congestion clogs the A13 motorway at Overschie and the A20 between Kleinpolderplein and Terbregseplein almost every day. To improve access to and quality of life in the Rotterdam region, Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) plans to construct a new motorway: the A16 Rotterdam. The motorway will be located along the northeast periphery of Rotterdam and will link to the N471, Ankie Verbeek-Ohrlaan and Terbregseplein. The route will cut through Lage Bergse Bos, where a semi-immersed tunnel will be constructed.
The combination honours its name (De Groene Boog means as much as The Green Turn, editor’s note) by providing a road which will not only fit its surroundings seamlessly, but also be energy neutral. The project combines the newest views concerning quality of life and sustainability. The road will be incorporated into the landscape as effectively as possible. Noise pollution will be prevented by using extra noise-reducing asphalt on the A16 road surface (dual-layer fine porous asphalt, ZOAB) as well as noise barriers and earth embankments. Adjoining areas, such as Terbregseveld, Vlinderstrik and Lage Bergse Bos, will be re-landscaped and connected by cycling and walking paths. For more information, visit the RWS project website www.a16rotterdam.nl.