Deepest point of construction of New Lock reached!

The bottom of this lock head is at -22 meters NAP. The outer head is now a dry construction pit about 25 meters deep. We did not let this milestone pass by lightly. At the vantage point today (Thursday, September 24, 2020) the Nieuwe Sluis Terneuzen steering committee and the project directors were present to view and celebrate the deepest point of the outer head.

• Eric Marteijn, project director New Terneuzen Lock: "Reaching the deepest point of construction is a high point in the construction of the New Lock. Together with contractor combination Sassevaart, we work enthusiastically every day to reach these beautiful milestones."
• Gerben Turkstra, project director contractor combination Sassevaart: "We are working energetically and thoughtfully with hundreds of design, construction and environmental staff on this lock and are proud to have reached this milestone together."
• Freddy Aerts, co-chairman steering committee New Lock Terneuzen: "The deepest point has been reached; we are moving forward in good spirits towards opening in 2023. A boost for economic development in the entire Canal Zone."
• Theo van de Gazelle, co-chairman steering committee New Lock Terneuzen: "I look forward to the day when Rijkswaterstaat will hand over this beautiful New Lock for management and maintenance. The New Lock will then be part of the future-proof, sustainable and robust lock complex."

Safe and closed construction pit

So the creation of a dry construction pit of the outer head has succeeded. That was quite an operation. We first excavated to -11 meters NAP dry. The pit was then filled with water to wet excavate to -22 meters NAP. Then we made a bottom of underwater concrete. After that, the tub was put dry step by step. During which the walls and floor were closely monitored. Below the bottom of the construction pit we are now extracting groundwater. We spray this back into the surrounding area. This return drainage is necessary to reduce the pressure on the construction pit and by spraying it back, the groundwater in the area remains the same. We are monitoring this closely. Now that a safe and closed construction pit has been created, we can get to work on the complex concrete work required for the door casings, bridge basement and leveling system. The inner head is expected to be a dry construction pit by early 2021.