A structure is currently under construction in the inner sluice channel close to the sea sluice in IJmuiden, with a view to arresting the increase in salinisation of the North Sea Canal. For the project, Nauta Heeg partnered with the Beens Group to prefabricate, preserve and assemble three footbridges and a pier.
The design
The three footbridges, each 25 metres long and 1.5 metres wide, were produced in an earlier phase and form the link on the sluice complex between the new mooring site and the mainland. The pier comprises fifteen 10x4.5 metre sections and has a total length of 80 metres. The pier was designed by the Beens Group. Nauta Heeg converted the design into workshop drawings in a 3D model. This was followed by a conscious decision to prefabricate the frame elements in as large a format as possible in order to minimise the outdoor work. The structures were delivered to the site as a numbered kit, including railings, slatted floor and wooden finishing elements.
Assembly on location
The pier structure was assembled on site by a team of specialists from both Nauta Heeg and the Beens Group. The latter had previously installed the foundation for the pier. The tubular piles for the foundation were also produced by Nauta Heeg. In addition to the pier and tubular piles, we worked with Van Hattum and Blankevoort to fabricate marker piles, a clamp structure and attachment pieces for mooring and shore piles for the Zuidersluiseiland, which is located in the canal close to IJmuiden.
