Measlantkering - 1987
The Maeslantkering is the last section of the Delta works. The construction of the barrier began in 1989 and was finished in 1997.
The construction of the barrier was not part of the Deltaplan in fact no dam or barrier was ever in use, because the shipping had to reach the harbours of Rotterdam and Antwerp. Instead the dikes were built higher around Rotterdam to protect the people of Zuid-Holland against the water. But raising the dikes cost a lot of money and homes and roads must go. Het Ministerie voor Verkeer en Waterstaat(the ministry of water and civil engineering) declined the first bid for the building of a flood barrier but approved the bid for the Niewe Waterweg. The most important fact was that the barrier must not impede the shipping. Only in exceptional circumstances could the barrier be closed. Once or twice in ten years was the maximum. In 1991, four years after the bid was approved, the building of the barrier began. Which design had won? From the six applications the design of the Building consortium Maeslant Kering(BMK) won .The Maeslantkering is made from two arched steel doors that can be lowered and turned when necessary. On Saturday May 10th 1997 the official opening took place of the Stormvloedkering Nieuwe Waterweg at Hoek van Holland
The opening ceremony was conducted by Queen Beatrix. Thanks to the flood protection barrier ,a million people in Zuid-Holland are protected from the sea.
For more information : http://www.deltawerken.com/55.html
