The last four sheet piles in the dike of Uitdam were put in today, accompanied by the loud shaking that the residents have experienced in recent weeks. Alternative accommodation was offered to the residents, but Jeroen Koninkx, among others, stayed at home to keep an eye on things: “It’s your house after all.”
“Pressing the sheet piles was a very exciting process, it involves a lot of vibrations and a lot of noise,” says Koninkx. The damage to the surface is not too bad: some cracks in the stucco and a few vibrated tiles. The Markermeerdijken Alliance examined the original situation before carrying out the work and has promised to repair the damage.
Environment manager Rinus van den Ouweelen of the Markermeerdijken Alliance is pleased that ‘phase two’ is now behind us. “The insertion of the sheet piles was really a moment we lived for. We had more than 370 planks. We couldn’t put in four of them because we encountered an obstacle in the dike. We drilled that away and now those four are going in. “
Commotion
During the preparation of the work there was a lot of commotion among the residents about the layout of the dike. Uitdammers liked to see a green dike as it had been for years, but the Hoogheemraadschap Hollands Noorderkwartier opted for stone. The discussion went on for years and meanwhile the relations between the two became more grim. Black flags were even placed on the dike as a sign of mourning.
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“A lot has certainly happened in the preliminary phase,” says resident Koninkx. “There has really been a breach of trust. After that we came closer together again. Now it is ‘so far so good’, but it remains an intensive process for the residents.”
Peace
Van den Ouweelen: “It worked out in the end. I often cycle through the village here as a kind of neighborhood director. I think that worked well.”
He continues: “I hope that we will soon have a moment that the residents can relax for a while. There has been a lot of noise in recent weeks. Then we focus on the design process, so that everyone can get an idea of what will come back and I think it’s important that the residents get a voice in that.”
Koninkx concludes: “We hope for a good outcome, also in the possible repair of damage if it should occur.”