Rijkswaterstaat has definitively awarded the contract for the construction of the Innovation Lane A58 Kloosters to VolkerWessels company Gebr. Van Kessel. The project will be a showcase of sustainable and circular applications within the sector. Experiences gained here will contribute to the development and application of innovations in the A58 road widening project and other road projects. Gebr. Van Kessel, together with various chain partners and KWS Infra Eindhoven, applies a large package of circular products and its own innovations. The project is expected to start in the second quarter of 2021.
Joep de Greef, project manager at Rijkswaterstaat: 'Rijkswaterstaat is investing heavily in sustainable innovations in road construction. Research is still taking place at various locations in the Netherlands. This will all come together on the new 1,400-metre Innovation Lane. This is more practical and more efficient. The test strip, part of the InnovA58 project, will remain accessible to regular traffic.
Ab de Jong, managing director of Gebr. Van Kessel: 'The Innovation Lane on the A58 is a unique project that we are very proud of. Together with Rijkswaterstaat and our partners, we are striving to make the infrastructure sector more sustainable. The Innovation Lane gives us the opportunity to apply several of our own 'green' innovations and use zero-emission equipment in a single project. This project therefore makes a valuable contribution towards a 100% circular infrastructure.
Minimal CO2 emissions
The contract includes the construction of the entire Innovation Lane A58 Kloosters test site. This is intended for testing and mapping out innovative solutions prior to the widening of the A58 motorway. The specific assignment was to make a plan of action for some of the innovations to be applied and for a zero-emission implementation of this Innovation Lane. Gebr. Van Kessel scored 10 on the task of reducing CO2 emissions during implementation. This is done on the basis of the 'Tank to Wheel' principle; it involves looking at the emissions of the vehicles used in the construction of the innovation strip.
Electric asphalt spreader
Gebr. Van Kessel is using a number of innovations for the realisation. Sustainable foundation solutions, low-temperature asphalt types and circular solutions in marking and road furniture will be used. During construction, only equipment running on electricity or 'clean' fuel will be used. For example, the world's first electric asphalt spreader, in which KWS recently invested, will be used in this project.
Part of InnovA58
The Innovation Lane A58 Kloosters is part of the InnovA58 road widening project. In this project, Rijkswaterstaat is widening the A58 between Eindhoven-Tilburg and Sint Annabosch-Galder from 2 to 3 lanes. InnovA58 is a sub-programme of SmartwayZ.NL, an innovative mobility programme in which governments, businesses and knowledge institutions are working together to create a smooth, safe and smart mobility network.