dws-ballast-nedam-katwijk-coast-final-view-770pxDutch-Danish consortium Ballast Nedam - Rohde Nielsen has completed a 18-month reinforcement project in Katwijk along the Dutch coast. The official handover took place on 19 February with a symbolic placement of the last paving stone.

The new coastal defence scheme protects Katwijk with a unique dike-in-dune construction and an underground car park built between the dike and the boulevard.

Clients of the project were national agency for public works Rijkswaterstaat, province of South Holland, water board of Rhineland and municipality of Katwijk.

Ten weak spots along Dutch coast
The Katwijk Coastal work is part of a national 780 million euro programme to reinforce the Dutch coast at ten locations. In 2003 coastal authorities concluded that the current sea defences at these locations were unable to withstand a super storm.

The Katwijk Coastal work is part of a national 780 million euro programme to reinforce the Dutch coast at ten locations. In 2003 coastal authorities concluded that the current sea defences at these locations were unable to withstand a super storm.

For all 10 locations reinforcements projects were started in 2007 and, if possible, combined with other infrastructural meassures.

Two of these projects are still under construction.

dws-ballast-nedam-katwijk-coast-car-park-350px-1   Construction of the car park between dike (left) and boulevard (right).

Coastal reinforcement combined with other functions
For the coastal city of Katwijk the national coastal reinforcement programme led to the construction of a dike combined with the construction of a parking garage and newly decorated dunes.

In close consultation with residents a landscape design was made, transforming the city's seaside in an attractive resort.

Other innovative coastal projects
A comparable coastal defence project was completed in 2013 for the city of The Hague where Spanish architect Manuel de Solà-Morales designed an eye-catching boulevard built on dike-in-dune construction.

Another innovative coastal reinforcement project is the Sand Engine in 2011; A hook-shaped peninsula as creasted with a huge volume of sand. Wind, waves and currents are now spreading the sand naturally along the coast, reinforcing the weak spot in coastal defence.

This news item was originally published on the website of Hoogheemraadschap van Rijnland (in Dutch only).

Also read on this website
Official opening boulevard Scheveningen adds new icon to modern coastal landscaping, 9 April 2013
North point of Sand Motor is already at work, 11 October 2011

More information
Coastal work Katwijk
www.kustwerkkatwijk.nl

Ballast Nedam
Nieuwegein, the Netherlands
+31 30 285 33 33
www.ballast-nedam.nl

Video showing the realisation of the reinforcement project and construction of the underground car park..