Starting in December 2019, the Municipality of Ridderkerk will replace the noise barrier on the earthen embankment along Rotterdamse Weg, next to the Het Zand and Drievliet neighborhoods.

Starting in December 2019, the municipality will replace the noise barrier on the earthen embankment along Rotterdamse Weg, next to the Het Zand and Drievliet neighborhoods.

The existing wooden noise barrier needs to be replaced due to sagging and wear and tear. In areas where there is currently no wooden noise barrier, one will be installed as part of the new plan. The new noise barrier will once again comply with current regulations. Work is expected to begin in December.

Subsidence of the sound barrier

The noise barrier between Rotterdamseweg and the Drievliet neighborhood was originally constructed in 1985, and the noise barrier along the Het Zand neighborhood in 1990. In 2015, measurements revealed that the noise barrier, including the noise screen, had subsided compared to its original construction level and would continue to subside in the coming years. This is being taken into account in the construction of the new noise screen by making the screen slightly taller than calculations indicate is necessary. Along Drievliet, a so-called “green screen” (Greenwall Classic) will be installed: a steel cage filled with growing medium and finished on the residential side with a coconut mat featuring evergreen plants (Hedera hibernica). On the roadside, green plastic netting will be installed. Along Het Zand, a green screen (Greenwall Compact) will be installed, with vegetation on both sides.

Work

To remove the existing wooden screen, the contractor will likely use a chainsaw, which may cause some noise disturbance. In order to install the new screen, we will have to do some pruning. A few of the lower branches will be removed from the trees, and various shrubs will be pruned back to just above ground level. The pruned shrubs will sprout again next spring. In principle, all trees and shrubs will be preserved.

To install the new screen, the contractor is using a mobile crane and a telehandler (a type of large forklift). Some of the necessary materials are stored at a nearby depot.

The Greenwall sound barrier has a green, natural appearance immediately after installation. It also offers high sound insulation and, thanks to the materials used and the vegetation, is virtually graffiti-resistant.