After a lifetime of almost 100 years, the Northern lock in IJmuiden, the Netherlands is about to be replaced.
Rijkswaterstaat (the Dutch Highways and Waterways Agency) has awarded the construction contract for the new IJmuiden sea lock, located at the entrance to the North Sea Canal, to the Consortium OpenIJ.
The consortium, consisting of BAM-PGGM and Volker Wessels-DIF will be responsible for design, construction, financing and maintenance of the new lock for a period of 26 years.
A new, larger lock system will improve the accessibility of the port of Amsterdam and stimulate the local economy by offering space to the growing ships independent of the tidal levels.
The new lock will be 70 meters wide, 500 meters long and 18 meters deep. Construction will start early 2016 and the new lock will be available for shipping at the end of 2019.
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