The Princess Beatrix Lock Complex has been the largest monumental inland navigation lock in the Netherlands since its opening in 1938. It is the main shipping link between Rotterdam and Amsterdam, with 50,000 ships passing through the Lek Canal annually. In recent years, the lock threatened to become a bottleneck due to increasing traffic and larger vessels.
The consortium Sas van Vreeswijk (Besix, Heijmans, J. De Nul) was designated by the Department of Public Works for improvement works, which included the construction of a third gully, renovation of the two existing gullies, relocation of the lock control to the white lock-keepers’ houses and the widening of the Lek Canal.
The construction of the third gully will allow more and larger vessels to pass through the Lek Canal. In addition, the widening of the Lek Canal will create additional space for berths.
