The ministry, Rijkswaterstaat, has appointed a joint venture of Dura Vermeer and Hollandia Services for the renovation and strengthening of the A12 IJssel bridges.

The work will be carried out in a two-phase process. Rijkswaterstaat and the contracting team will jointly create the design in phase one, with additional studies carried out to address any uncertainties. The final price will then be agreed based on this design, with a risk profile that is acceptable to both parties. The project will then be carried out in phase two.

Considerable attention was paid to collaboration during the tender. The winning team achieved a good score on this aspect, which had had a major influence in Rijkwaterstaat's decision on who to appoint.

The A12 motorway is a key east-west connection to and from Germany. The IJssel bridges east of Arnhem consist of a concrete bridge for traffic heading west and two steel bridges for traffic to Germany. About 125,000 vehicles drive over the bridges every day.

Ijssel bridge - Netherlands

Increases traffic and the introduction of heavier vehicles mean that it is necessary to strengthen and renovate the two steel bridges. In 2017, it became apparent that their carrying capacity is declining. Since then, Rijkswaterstaat has regularly inspected the steel bridges and carries out maintenance and reinforcement measures as necessary.

Completion is due by 2024.