The new sea lock (‘Zeesluis IJmuiden’) - what will happen in March and April 2021?
The contours of Zeesluis IJmuiden are now clearly visible and this means that the final phase of construction has now begun. In the coming months, OpenIJ will continue with the construction of the Loswal (quay) on the Zuidersluiseiland (number 1 in the picture);
The public road across the locks will open for pedestrians, cyclists and mopeds (number 2 in the picture); flood defence north will be tarmacked (number 3 in the picture); the future dyke of flood defence south will be raised to the correct height (number 4 in the picture); protection material will be applied to the bottom of the Nieuwe Zeesluis at the inner and the outer heads (number 5 in the picture); and there will be a lock gate replacement at the outer head of the Noordersluis (North Lock).
Construction of the Loswal (quay) on the Zuidersluiseiland
In the period from September 2020 to June 2021, OpenIJ will be building a new quay on the Zuidersluiseiland, next to the storehouse of the Heida company (number 1 in the picture). The new quay - also to be used as a car landing place for inland ships - will extend the facilities at the Zuidersluiseiland. In the period March and April 2021, work is being carried out to the earth-retaining structure and the embankment protection.
Opening of the public road across the locks
The public road across the IJmuiden lock complex will open on 29 March 2021. The road (number 2 in the picture) will only be open for mopeds, cyclists and pedestrians. The road will remain closed for car traffic until further notice. Cars cannot yet use the public road because there are still a number of construction and maintenance works ongoing at the lock complex. Until the end of 2021, mopeds, cyclists and pedestrians using the public road should therefore take into account extra delays that may occur due to (maintenance) works to the bridges of the Middle Lock (Middensluis) and the use of temporary pumps at the Small Lock (Kleine Sluis). The public road runs across the outer gate of the new sea lock. Testing operations of the outer gate of the new sea lock will be carried out on working days between 19.00 and 24.00 LT. During these periods, the public road will be closed for road for traffic.
Flood defence north
In March, the Middensluisweg near the flood defence north (number 3 in the picture) will be tarmacked. The Middensluisweg is part of the public road across the locks that will be open to mopeds, bicycles and pedestrians as from 29 March 2021. The Middensluisweg will be open to car traffic at a later stage.
Flood defence south
Flood defence south (number 4 in the picture) is where the OpenIJ concrete mixing plant previously stood. The concrete mixing plant has produced more than 300,000 m3 of concrete for the construction of the sea lock. In the coming weeks, the future dyke at this location will be raised to the required height after which OpenIJ will start the construction of the road on top of the dyke.
Protection material to the bottom of the lock at the inner head
On 15, 16 and 17 March (during the closures of the North Lock due to planned maintenance by technical service provider SPIE), OpenIJ will start with the application of protection material to the bottom of the Nieuwe Zeesluis at the inner head. Once the closures of the North Lock have ended, various works will take place in and near the inner and outer approach channels to the North Lock. Shipping traffic will be taken into account during these works. In week numbers 12-14 (22 March to 8 April 2021), OpenIJ will complete the application of protection material at the inner head of the Nieuwe Zeesluis.
Protection material to the bottom of the lock at the outer head and lock gate replacement
During the period from 12 to 14 April 2021, OpenIJ will start the application of protection material to the bottom of the Nieuwe Zeesluis at the outer head (number 5 in the picture). During the closures of the North Lock from 19 to 22 April 2021, OpenIJ will apply protection material to the bottom of the Nieuwe Zeesluis at the outer head. There will be a lock gate replacement of the North Lock on 21 April 2021. The closures of the North Lock have been mentioned in Announcement to Shipping No. 08/2021. In week numbers 17-21 (end of April to end of May 2021), the remaining protection material will be applied at the outer head of the Nieuwe Zeesluis. For this, no further lock closures of the North Lock will be necessary.