Oostkanaaldijk, Maarssen | 'We came across all sorts of things in the ground'

Groundwork with surprises

Before the foundation stone could be laid on the Oostkanaaldijk, the ground was prepared for construction. This task was in the hands of Zwart Infracare. "A continuous series of surprises," Piet Zwart, director of Zwart Infracare, summed up the work.

Zwart Infracare went through the earthwork in four phases. First, they uprooted the trees and shrubs on the construction site, followed by asbestos remediation of the entire site. Over 1.5 acres, the certified people removed the asbestos present. Then the time was ripe for the demolition of 8,000 m² of buildings and ground remediation. "Those last two phases in particular continually presented us with surprises," says Zwart. "We really came across all sorts of things in the ground. Oil tanks, mineral oils, a heavy underground cellar and the cylinders of a former painting machine. These had not been included in the soil reports. Then when you find something like that, you have to be solution-oriented."

The land was delivered ready for construction.

Transparent and solution-oriented

In those cases, Zwart went back to his client, working with the engineering firm to come up with a good solution. Zwart: "Fortunately, we are good at that. We are transparent and solution-oriented. These qualities suited the client of this project perfectly. Aannemingsbedrijf Kuin likes to work on the basis of trust." After completing the complete demolition, Zwart arranged for the disposal of 6,000 tons of rubble and all other released materials to approved, environmentally conscious processors. In total, the earthwork took just under six months. "The project was exhilarating as well as instructive," Zwart concludes. "Apparently, you can never examine a piece of land that has been built on enough."