Smart combination of permanent and temporary facilities at De Poel pumping station

In 's-Heer Abtskerke, Zeeland, the new De Poel pumping station was completed last June. The main contractor was Van Boekel Bouw & Infra. Engineering firm Verhoeven and Leenders was responsible for the structural engineering of the whole. And no project is without its challenges; in this case, the existing railroad line and the size of the new pumping station required extra attention.

Our motto is "Connect, improve and secure structural safety," begins Corné van Weert, director of Verhoeven and Leenders. The engineering firm in Volkel is one of the regular partners of Van Boekel Bouw & Infra, main contractor of the new De Poel pumping station project. They have previously worked on various projects including the renovation of various polder pumping stations. For De Poel pumping station, Verhoeven and Leenders was responsible for the structural engineering of both the permanent structure of the pumping station and the temporary facilities, including the cofferdam with steel sheet pile walls and underwater concrete floor. "The great advantage of picking up the permanent and temporary facilities in combination is that you get the best overall design where smart combinations can be made and you can therefore also work efficiently. And because we as a firm are at home in both structural and civil engineering, you get the best of both worlds."

Constructive puzzles

Within the engineering of the new pumping station, there were two main challenges: the existing rail line that runs across the discharge line and the increased pumping capacity. The new pumping station can discharge 270 m3 of water per minute, an increase of 50 m3 per minute over the old pumping station. "The railroad line was allowed only limited decommissioning. Therefore, we chose a construction method in which the foundation and discharge pipe could be realized quickly, in this case precast concrete beams and discharge pipe. As for the increased capacity; this was certainly a puzzle work. The pumps have a complex shape and are larger in size. This meant that we had to make the various construction phases very clear in the structural design. We therefore made separate drawings for each construction phase."

Corné is very pleased with the cooperation with Van Boekel Bouw & Infra. "We have known each other for some time and have worked together on various projects. As a result, we are well attuned to each other, something that also certainly benefited the new De Poel pumping station construction."