Renovation and replacement of Cruquius bridges

Process management brings structure and transparency

The replacement and renovation of the Cruquius bridges is an infrastructural operation with high ambitions in terms of sustainability, circularity and maintenance, new requirements in terms of Industrially Flexible and Demountable (IFD) construction and also above-average sensitivity when it comes to environmental management. After all, the bridges form the intersection of the N201 and the ring canal of the Haarlemmermeer and are a stone's throw away from Cruquius, a national monument. Process management plays an important role in the replacement and renovation of the Cruquius bridges.

Especially if the project encounters a delay after the construction team phase. The construction exemption on the nitrogen regulation expires and the environmental permit must be reapplied for. "If, for whatever reason, a project comes to a standstill for a few months, you have to know how to stop the train in a controlled way, put a comma and pick up the process again later," argues Koen van Oosterhout, process consultant at dutch process innovators.

Cut up 

Dutch process innovators is often involved in integral complex works such as the Cruquius bridges. The consulting firm has been engaged by contractor combination Van Hattum en Blankevoort - Hollandia Infra to ensure that the project is as controlled and transparent as possible from the start of construction to delivery. To get that transparency, the consulting firm set up the project as they would deliver it. "The Province of North Holland is a client that is tight on compliance with contractual obligations," Van Oosterhout continued. "On this project, it was a UAV-GC contract with functional specifications that gives freedoms and responsibility to the executing parties. To make the contract manageable and insightful for the contractor combination, the project was broken down during the design phase. What requirements do you link to the substructure, operation, steel superstructure, durability and service life? What traffic measures are needed? What about water management? Et cetera. If the right requirements are linked to the corresponding sub-objects, you get from a complex whole to manageable, demonstrable components."

Deliver in one day

In a complex project, many different specialties come together: concrete, steel, road construction, electrical engineering, mechanical engineering, you name it. "All of that must work together separately, but also integrally, and demonstrably comply with the contract," Van Oosterhout said. "Right from the start of the project, inspections and proofs and certificates are collected to ensure demonstrability upon delivery. In order not to forget the expectations of the client and stakeholders in this, direct contact was sought with the manager of the bridges and the bicycle underpass. This early coordination ensures that the delivery file is continuously filled and that after completion of the work outside the delivery file can be prepared quickly. This is also known as 'delivering in a day.'"

Enjoy going to work every day

Van Oosterhout enjoys going to work every day. "Working every day on complex projects, with different characters and within set deadlines can sometimes be stressful. However, it is also enormously satisfying when it then all succeeds to finish on time with the right quality. Client and contractor satisfied? Then we have done the right thing together! That's what dutch process innovators does it for."