How early communication with local residents Dijkversterking Stad Tiel prevents complaints 

Viewing afternoons, information meetings, newsletters and a ConstructionApp. Everything is being done to keep everyone who lives and/or works in Tiel informed of the work. Jeroen Duifhuizen is responsible for the environmental management of the project Dijkversterking Stad Tiel from consultancy and engineering firm RPS. He tells more about his role and what is involved.

As environment manager, Jeroen is the first point of contact for local residents. And from this role, he handles all environmental communications. "I am part of the core team consisting of FPH Ploegmakers, the water board and the municipality. Together we keep everyone informed about the work. Especially in this project where we are working in the middle of the city of Tiel, where some roads will not be accessible for several weeks, where there is dust nuisance, noise et cetera, it is extremely important to involve local residents well in the work at an early stage. Besides communication, it is my job to check whether the demands and wishes of the surrounding area, and the agreements made with the residents are actually complied with." In addition to environmental management, RPS, part of Tetratech, is also responsible for permit management from A to Z. Which permits are needed, what is the status of the laws and regulations, up to checking that all procedures have been completed correctly. 

Listening well already solves a lot

As the first point of contact, Jeroen deals with all kinds of questions and complaints. "The nice thing is that we work with a small core team and so you know each other well. If a resident calls me about a running pump that makes a strange noise, one call to FPH Ploegmakers is all I need to solve it." Even if people have a complaint or are angry because they have a flat bicycle tire due to the work, for example, Jeroen's job is to hear and listen to what is going on. "If people can tell their story and they experience that they are also being listened to, the problem is already largely solved. So far it is going well. There are people who have been inconvenienced by our work for a year. But precisely because of early communication and including them in the project, the people are happy with how it turned out. As a team, we can soon be quite proud of that."

From showcase afternoon to experience route and BuildingApp

Various media are used for neighborhood communication; newsletters, various types of meetings and the ConstructionApp. For example, a showcase afternoon was organized for the surrounding area on the dike near Bellevue. This was mainly about experiencing and experiencing vibration and compression of sheet piling and what is being done to limit damage to homes and buildings. Last year, residents could even walk a special experience route along the city of Tiel and use a viewer and their own phone to see the changes before and after the dike reinforcement. And during Construction Day 2023, FPH Ploegmakers and the Rivierenland Water Board opened the work site on Hertog Arnoldstraat to the public. Also, all activities and the latest news can be followed via the special ConstructionApp. On the ConstructionApp, people can also fill out a satisfaction survey. "At the people where we really have to work in the garden, we will personally visit them for a final conversation about how they experienced the cooperation and what could possibly be improved." The results of the survey and interviews are not yet known, but given the minimal number of complaints that have come in so far, Jeroen dares to say that people are satisfied with how the work went. "Due to the high water, for example, the Havendijk was closed much longer than planned. We expected many complaints about this, but in the end we only had two phone calls. This also shows that clear and early communication does a lot."