Interview Peter van Wijk and Hans Dorsman: Approaching the new terminal in the future
Having a new terminal means having a new drop-off road. To ensure that we can use the departure halls in 2023, the road is being built now. Joint responsibility for this lies with project manager Peter van Wijk of Schiphol and field engineering manager Hans Dorsman of Royal HaskoningDHV. And it is something they are only too pleased to talk about.
Widening of Ceintuurbaan-Zuid
The new drop-off road will actually be a widening of the viaduct to the current departure halls. Work is being carried out on the raised roads between the exit from the A4 motorway and the entrance to the current terminal. Ceintuurbaan-Zuid, to be precise. The viaduct was constructed in the 1990s and is now set to be doubled in size. The aim is to connect to the new terminal to it. This immediately presents a major challenge to Peter and his colleagues. ‘The new section must have the same appearance,’ he explains. ‘However, it must also meet the requirements of the present day.’ Fortunately, this is not something that worries Hans of Royal HaskoningDHV. ‘We are using heavier girders, for example, or stronger cams,’ he says. ‘But ultimately the viaducts will appear as one entity.’
You can’t see it, but it’s there
Much of the work underground has already been carried out. Peter: ‘Many cables and pipes are being rerouted or removed. The piles for the new viaduct are also in place. At the moment, we are in the process of fixing the concrete foundations on top of them.’ Hans adds: ‘In fact, everything you will no longer be able to see once we have finished.’
