Prinses Beatrixsluis

The Princess Beatrix Lock is the largest monumental inland waterway lock in the Netherlands. The lock lies on the Lek Canal, the main direct link between the ports of Rotterdam and Amsterdam. As more and more large ships are using the Lek Canal, the Princess Beatrix Lock was in danger of becoming a bottleneck.
On behalf of the Rijkswaterstaat, the consortium Sas van Vreeswijk is constructing a third chamber, widening the canal and installing extra berths for vessels. The consortium is formed by BESIX, Heijmans and Jan de Nul.

The monumental view of the Beatrix Lock dominates the landscape. Adding another lift tower would spoil the view. Besides, the lock is on the New Holland Waterline. This historic line of defence has been nominated for UNESCO world heritage site status. So, the landscape cannot be altered. For this reason, Sas van Vreeswijk opted to use rolling doors instead of lift gates for the new lock. This preserves the historic character of the Beatrix Lock.

The Beatrix Lock is in the middle of a nature reserve. To protect the fauna and flora, Sas van Vreeswijk involved ecologists in the design and phasing of the project. Trees that had to be dug up were replanted elsewhere in the surrounding area. Fish, frogs, bats and other creatures were captured and released in nearby locations.