It may seem obvious that you can drive, sail, or bike from A to B in a densely populated region like South Holland. But behind the scenes, work is done with military precision to maintain and renew the (navigation) roads, bridges, tunnels, and viaducts.
In and around Rotterdam, this challenge forms a complex puzzle of schedules, interests, and accessibility. Traffic manager Peter van den Heuvel from Rijkswaterstaat West-Nederland Zuid knows all about it: ‘The task is enormous.’
Van den Heuvel: ‘We have an enormous maintenance and renewal task. Bridges, tunnels, and viaducts built decades ago are nearing the end of their lifespan. At the same time, we want to keep the Rotterdam region accessible due to its throughput function.’
Stones, Marbles, and Sand
To keep track of all schedules, Van den Heuvel compares it to a pot you need to fill: ‘You start with the big stones: the megaprojects that cannot be shifted, such as the replacement of the Van Brienenoord Bridge. Then come the medium-sized projects, the marbles, and finally the sand; the smaller, more flexible tasks.’
To carry out the large projects, such as the Van Brienenoord Bridge, we need to work on other roads now so that we can properly divert traffic at that time. ‘That’s why we are currently working on the A16, so that it can be used as a diversion during the major maintenance of the A20.’
Collaborating Across Borders
When planning these projects, Van den Heuvel is not alone. Within Rijkswaterstaat, he collaborates with a team from the ‘Regional Mobility’ department. Coordination outside the organization is done in collaboration with municipalities, provinces, ProRail, and other parties through the partnership South Holland Accessible. ‘That is really essential,’ explains Van den Heuvel. ‘If everyone works at their own pace and schedule, we get in each other’s way.’ Coordination is also done with the transport sector, healthcare institutions, and safety regions. ‘We are talking about keeping a hospital or a shipyard accessible, for example.’
We also have to consider flora and fauna. ‘If work needs to be done on a flight path of bats, we look at how we can manage that. How do we ensure minimal disruption and delay while protecting this species at the same time?’
Maintenance in the Shadows
Much of the work done by Rijkswaterstaat remains invisible to people until disruptions occur. ‘We carry out more than 15,000 tasks and more than 100 weekend closures annually in South Holland,’ says Van den Heuvel. ‘But people only notice when there are closures or traffic jams.’
That’s why we as an organization think ahead. ‘What we do now prepares the region for the future. By planning multiple tasks smartly in succession now, we prevent extra disruption later with larger projects. For example, we are currently working on several projects in the Drechtsteden so that the region remains accessible when the Van Brienenoord Bridge (2029-2033) is tackled.’