Sustainable noise barriers on the A16 and N3

Combat noise nuisance

The new and popular Amstelwijck neighbourhood has been under construction on the edge of the Municipality of Dordrecht for the past few years. Good accessibility and access to the historic city centre and national park De Biesbosch contribute to the neighbourhood’s unique character. Noise barriers were needed to protect the neighbourhood from motorway, provincial main road and railway noise. Sustainability was one of the project’s key points. Due to the complexity, Heijmans asked Bosch Beton to help devise a ballast construction using retaining walls. Heijmans ultimately succeeded in using the structural solution calculated by Bosch Beton to create the custom solution for the Municipality of Dordrecht.

Sustainable construction

One of the pillars of this project was that during the noise barrier construction, the released soil needed to be reused within the project. A smart irrigation system was also used, which ensures healthy plants during dry periods and provides an assurance of greenery. Reusing the released soil directly in the noise barriers saved many transport movements and made a significant contribution to the project’s sustainability in this area. Bosch Beton also issued a lifetime guarantee, which ensures that the retaining wall structure itself is a sustainable solution for the long term.

Retaining wall specials

Bosch Beton was commissioned by Heijmans to design special retaining walls to meet the requirements set for the impact of different loads on the entire noise barrier construction. A total of over 1,000 retaining wall elements were used for this project, varying from 75 to 150 cm in height. Various retaining wall corner elements were also included in the design to enable simple construction of the required emergency exits. The customised retaining walls, including modified heel and foot lengths, created a retaining wall construction that offered exactly the right structural solution. The sustainability aspect was also addressed, as the retaining walls were produced using a more sustainable concrete recipe that considerably reduces the proportion of cement.

Full service and cooperation as starting point

Heijmans opted for Bosch Beton as a supplier as they were able to offer a full service in the noise barrier project. Bosch Beton’s own engineering department helped from A to Z in devising the ballast solution for the noise barriers. The flexibility in producing specials and the associated fast delivery time were decisive factors. Bosch Beton also largely took care of the retaining wall delivery and placement. Due to the size of the project, a 10-week construction flow was used for this project, which enabled construction time guarantees and ensured that deliveries were made just in time.

Further information

If you would like to know more about this project or our customised retaining wall solutions for applications including Road & Traffic, please feel free to contact our consultants.