Van Oord, Boskalis to Reinforce Houtrib Dike

The Dutch Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management (Rijkswaterstaat) is about to award contract for the reinforcement of the Houtrib dike to Van Oord and its partner Boskalis.

The contract carries a value of EUR 90 million with the equal share of EUR 45 million going to the two contractors.

According to Van Oord, the project entails the reinforcement of the Houtrib dike on both sides with sand and rock over a distance of 25 kilometers. The activities will be carried out in the period 2017-2020.

The dike reinforcement project is part of the Dutch Flood Protection Program, an alliance of Rijkswaterstaat and all district water boards aimed at reinforcing primary dikes in a more innovative and robust manner.

The Houtrib dike is located between Enkhuizen and Lelystad, the Netherlands, and protects large parts of the country from flooding. During storms, the dike prevents water from the IJsselmeer lake flooding into the Markermeer lake.

The dike however currently does not meet the government safety standards.