The pilot section of the Houtrib Dike will be handed over to Rijkswaterstaat in the spring of 2018, according to the EcoShape.
This pilot project, part of the Dutch Flood Protection Program, created a sandy foreshore consisting of a large quantity of sand that is deposited in front of a dike.
This body of sand attenuates the waves and therefore eliminates or reduces the impact of the waves on the dike, avoiding the need to strengthen the dike.
But before the handover, researchers will carry out one final test where a part of the stable body of sand is removed, reported the EcoShape. The final results of the project will be published in 2018.
With intensive measurements of the remaining part of the pilot section, the researchers expect to gain a better understanding of the development of the sand package. With that knowledge, future sandy reinforcements can be designed more accurately.
The partnership for the project Hybrid Flood Defense Houtrib Dike consists of Rijkswaterstaat and Ecoshape. Within Ecoshape the following organizations participated: research institutions Deltares and WUR Environmental Research, contractors Boskalis and Van Oord and engineering companies Arcadis, RoyalHaskoningDHV and HKV – Lijn in Water.
For more info please visit the project page Houtribdijk!