09/10/2008
Today, on his birthday, Russia’s Prime Minister Vladimir Putin officially opened the most important section of the St Petersburg flood barrier. The official opening marks a significant milestone in the progress of this enormous project, which can best be described as a combination of the Afsluitdijk, the Haringvlietsluizen, the Hartelkering and the Maeslantkering in a single project. The completion of this project will make the huge city far more secure against the floods which are a regular occurrence. A megaproject in which Royal Haskoning is involved.
Peter the Great founded the city of St Petersburg in Neva Bay at the mouth of the River Neva at the head of the Gulf of Finland in 1703. Over the centuries the city has been plagued by floods from the sea, caused by storms in the Baltic Sea. After extremely severe floods in 1955 and 1975 it was decided to construct a dam in Neva Bay to protect the city. Construction started in1979 but a combination of factors caused it to stall in the 1980s.
Royal Haskoning has been involved in studies with a view to resuming this project and completing the flood barrier since the 1990s. The project involves building a dam (a kind of causeway) around 25 km long. Six sluice complexes for water discharge are being built in this dam (as in the Haringvlietsluizen) and there are two openings for shipping that can be shut (similar to the Hartelkering and the Maeslantkering near Rotterdam). Lastly, the dam will form part of a six-lane ring road around St Petersburg.
Royal Haskoning is advising the Russian government, the client for this project, on a broad range of hydraulic, technical and contractual aspects. Construction resumed in full in 2005 and also involves the Dutch dredging company Boskalis. The most important section of the project was officially opened today by Prime Minister Putin. This is the vast opening for shipping that can be shut by a kind of Maeslantkering. The ceremony marks an important milestone and the achievement of far greater security against floods for the city and its monumental buildings such as the Hermitage. Expectations are that this project will still take some years to complete.
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