A27, HOUTEN-HOOIPOLDER
The A27 between Houten and the Hooipolder junction is a well-known bottleneck where traffic jams occur on an almost daily basis. In order to improve the traffic flow, the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management has launched a project to widen this section.
GEO2 Engineering is a major contributor to this project, both in preliminary and final design. One of the most striking parts of the project are the abutments of the new Merwede bridge, as shown in the pictures on the right.
A completely new bridge will be built next to the existing Merwede Bridge. Once this bridge is completed, the old bridge will be demolished and replaced.
The project has an extensive geotechnical work package that requires specialist expertise. It includes:
- Settlement and stability analyses to achieve a stable anchorage that meets the specified residual settlement requirements.
- Soil retaining structures to limit the risk of impact on the abutments and the existing A27. And also to enable the complex phasing of the works.
- A piled embankment behind the new abutment to enable new earthworks to be carried out on the locally poor foundation in the (short) time available.
- Pile foundations for both abutments, using different types of foundations to effectively transfer the vertical and horizontal loads.
The implementation of the project involves a complex phasing of works, with careful consideration of various interfaces, such as
- The impact on the existing A27 and through traffic.
- Interaction with flood defences and other nearby assets.
