Tauw and Witteveen+Bos to prepare the contract for the Rhine bridge/N233

The assignment includes the widening of the N233 to 2x2 lanes between the junctions with the N225 and the N320. The existing steel superstructure of the Rhine bridge will be replaced by a new bridge with 2x2 lanes and cycle paths on the existing pillars.

The Provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland are collaborating on this project with Rijkswaterstaat, the municipalities of Rhenen, Buren and Neder-Betuwe, and the regions of Food Valley and Rivierenland. TAUW and Witteveen+Bos are organising the performance of the requisite conditioning studies (in collaboration with Syntax Inframediairs for the cables and pipes), drafting the works contract and assisting the clients with the tender process for construction companies.

‘We are pleased that the contract has been awarded to the consortium of TAUW and Witteveen+Bos,’ says Edwin Koevoets, project manager at the Province of Utrecht. ‘Their proposal was really distinctive and ambitious. We look forward with confidence to working together so that the tender process can commence in just under a year's time.’

Jaco ter Wal, TAUW project director, says: ‘One of TAUW's priorities is to work on valuable projects that contribute to a sustainable living environment – and the Rhine bridge is definitely such a project! We are proud to be working with our partner Witteveen+Bos and the Provinces of Utrecht and Gelderland, each contributing their own specific expertise, to create this beautiful new connection.’ Hans van Daelen, business unit manager at Witteveen+Bos, says: ‘It’s every civil engineer's dream to work on a large bridge over a river. This project will make that dream come true. For Witteveen+Bos, this is an excellent opportunity to contribute our knowledge of the replacement and renovation of large steel bridges.’