Where in Zuidas
During the eight-day closure of the A10 Zuid in August, we are moving two roof sections for the new passenger tunnel at Amsterdam Zuid station, the Brittenpassage, into position. In order to do that, we need to dig up around 100 m of the A10. When the sections of the roof are in position, we will replace the road and track, at the same time widening the most southerly railway platform slightly to the south. This is necessary in order to accommodate increasing passenger numbers and to keep the station comfortable and safe in the future. We are already regularly deploying stewards to guide passengers to and from busy railway platforms. In order to create space to widen the platform, the A10 Zuid (in the direction of Utrecht/Hengelo) needs to be moved slightly in this location and when we replace it, it will have a slight bend in it.
Maximum speed from 100 to 90 km/h
According to Casper Steenkamp, motorists are unlikely to notice much difference when the road is moved slightly. He is a highway designer for Zuidasdok. ‘Next to the Brittenpassage, the A10 Zuid will only be moved by around 1.8 m’, he explains. ‘It will then bend back again around 400 m further up the road. Even on the technical drawings, it’s pretty difficult to make out the meander in the road.’ However, drivers will notice that the maximum speed for this part of the road will be reduced from 100 to 90 km/h. According to Steenkamp, this relates to the so-called curve radius, which expresses the degree of curve in the road. ‘The curve radius always relates to the maximum speed and desired camber of the road and there are strict rules for this. On a really sharp bend, you obviously can’t maintain a maximum speed of 100 if you want to guarantee safety.’
A10 Zuid into tunnel
In principle, it is not impossible to add a bend to a road while also maintaining a maximum speed of 100 km/h. ‘But it wasn’t advisable in this case’, says Steenkamp. ‘We would have had to start the curve slightly further west. That would have had a much greater impact on the surrounding area and the works. The curve radii would have then been greater, meaning that more of the road would need to be moved. That would also take it into the area where the A10 Zuid is being diverted underground into a tunnel in the future, resulting in them touching each other and seriously complicating matters.’
More than creating embankments and laying asphalt
We have already widened the embankment where the new section of the A10 will be, with the exception of the section where we are working on the Brittenpassage. This is where, in August, we will be putting the two roof sections into position, after which we will begin excavating the tunnel later this year. But moving 400 m of motorway involves far more than building an embankment and laying some asphalt, explains Steenkamp. ‘Every detail is carefully scrutinised. For example, where should the guard rails, lamp posts and road markings be? Even if you’re just moving things a few centimetres, everything has to stay safe. Everything also needs to be meticulously documented in order to ensure that the Public Works Department (RVS) has the right data.’
Ask your question
In the lead-up to and during the works, it will be possible to use Whatsapp to request personal travel advice from Ask&Go.
- Scan the QR code
- Start a Whatsapp chat with Ask&Go Zuidasdok (085-0659091)
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