Definitive award planning phase renovation Hoofdvaarweg Lemmer – Delfzijl

Rijkswaterstaat, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, has definitively awarded the planning phase for the renovation of the Hoofdvaarweg Lemmer – Delfzijl to the Witteveen+Bos – Royal HaskoningDHV combination. The engineering firms have been tasked with conducting an integrated study into restoring the banks along the entire main waterway and preparing the contract for part of the implementation.

Integrated study

Over the coming years, the Witteveen+Bos – Royal HaskoningDHV combination will be conducting an integrated study into the replacement challenges and required optimisations, besides the current projects, to ensure the main waterway fulfils the Waterway Guidelines 2020. We will be doing this together with government partners and the local community. The options for replacing the bank structures form an important part of the study. Where possible, these will be replaced by nature and animal friendly banks. The leading jetties for the bridges, the mooring and waiting places, the underwater profile and the removal of the Terherne lock are also part of the integrated study.

Rinze Herrema, project manager for the combination: 'The challenge is to renovate this waterway in a socially responsible way. The first step is to prioritise where investments are needed and to make transparent decisions about these. At the same time, the varying interests of stakeholders, like the two provinces and the municipalities along the waterway, will be considered and optimised for socially added value. In our approach to this project, there are two key points. Together we aim to maximise the sustainability objectives. And the construction of a data room, in which everything comes together, will also enable us to work in a truly data-driven way. Because of these Rijkswaterstaat ambitions, we are very keen to do this project.'

Rijkswaterstaat will finalise the planning phase in 2023, after which the contract preparation for the work will take place. We expect work to start in 2025.

Definitive award

In February 2021, the project was provisionally awarded. In the subsequent phase, the combination substantiated and elaborated its plans for the replacement and renovation of the main waterway. This substantiation phase was successfully completed and ended with the definitive award of the project to the Witteveen+Bos and Royal HaskoningDHV combination.

About the Lemmer – Delfzijl main waterway

The Lemmer – Delfzijl main waterway is one of the most important waterways in our country, forming most of the national waterway from Rotterdam to northern Germany. It is therefore an important link in the North Netherlands economy.  Rijkswaterstaat has been the owner and manager of the waterway since 2014.  

Rijkswaterstaat is working on improving the main waterway for smooth, safe and sustainable inland navigation. Besides the replacement and renovation work on the banks, several bridges will be replaced. This will boost the volume of shipping and facilitate more transport by water, which in turn will benefit the northern economy, ease congestion and reduce carbon emissions.