A major step forward in Dutch flood defence has been taken with a new contract signed between Van Oord and Boskalis to reinforce the IJsselmeerdijk near Lelystad.
The Zuiderzeeland Water Board said this huge marine construction project will strengthen over 17 kilometres of dyke between Lelystad and Ketelbrug.
“After so many years of careful preparation, I am proud that the implementation of this dyke reinforcement project is about to get underway,” said Tom Vereijken, executive board member of the Zuiderzeeland Water Board.
“Flood safety is, after all, vital to our low-lying polders.”
Dyke reinforcement
The marine civils consortium will reinforce 12 kilometres with a newly constructed foreshore in Lake IJsselmeer, while the remaining five kilometres will use traditional dyke reinforcement, such as dyke heightening and revetment upgrades.
The tender was awarded based on more than technical ability. Environmental impact, carbon reduction, circular construction, biodiversity and long-term maintenance were key criteria - all of which were met by the Van Oord and Boskalis joint proposal.
Peter van der Linde (Boskalis) and Ronald de Geus (Van Oord) highlighted the importance of sustainability, saying the project would allow them to “once again put our unique expertise in flood protection into practice.”
Work will begin in 2026, following the final design phase.
This marine civils initiative forms part of the national Flood Protection Programme (HWBP), which aims to make the Netherlands flood-proof by 2050.
