Successful reinforcement operation viaduct in the A7 

During an inspection in 2022, the supports of the viaduct in the A7 over the Noordhollandsch Kanaal near Purmerend were found to be weakened. To allow traffic to cross the structure again safely and without weight restrictions, the bridge was urgently reinforced. Van der Jagt Groep was flown in to move the joints, drill as many as 50,000 holes and glue over 15 kilometers of reinforcement bars. A mega job in a very short time frame.

The A7 is an important traffic artery in the north of our country. Many thousands of vehicles cross the viaduct near Purmerend every day. "Construction consortium Savera promised to carry out the reinforcement operation in a very short time frame of just five months," begins Adriaan van der Jagt. "Given the amount of work to be done, that seemed pretty ambitious. But when it's special, a lot, big or deep, they've come to the right place. So we joined in the preliminary process to put the creative puzzle together and to fly the work as efficiently as possible, with the bridge remaining open to traffic in both directions during the work, albeit with narrowed lanes."

The work on both halves of the road was carried out between April 1 and September 1, 2024. The supports of the bridge were reinforced in two parts, i.e., per road half. In two phases of five weeks each, Van der Jagt Groep had to drill a total of 50,000 holes and glue reinforcement cuttings in them, ranging from cuttings in diameters of 12 to 32 mm and in lengths of 25 to 150 centimeters. "There are very few parties in the Netherlands capable of taking on an order of this size," Adriaan says. "That is precisely where our strength lies. We put a project team on it and literally go all the way, thinking along from planning to successful execution. That's the added value of Van der Jagt Groep. At peak times, we had more than 70 professionals working on the job at the same time. We first lowered the embankments and the median strip before we could reinforce them with new anchors. This was to ensure sufficient coverage after the overlaying."

In addition to drilling the holes and gluing the anchors, Van der Jagt Group also sawed open and removed all 16 joints of the bridge. "Then the girders were shortened slightly so that the new joints could be installed in sound concrete. That space was there constructively," Adriaan explained. At the end of August, Van der Jagt Group glued the final cuttings in place. "We look back on a perfectly executed project and a fine cooperation with construction combination Savera. This kind of project is right up our alley, where we take care of the entire scope from A to Z as a partner of the building consortium. So that they don't have to worry about anything else and are assured of a solid end result." In the preliminary phase, Adriaan was therefore invited by Savera to explain the work to the Minister of Infrastructure and Public Works. "The photo of the minister holding our drill was a hit on social media."