My husband and daughter are engineers and really want to visit the Maeslant Storm Surge Barrier near Rotterdam. RS provides little info in his guidebook. Has anyone taken a tour here? Is it possible to get there by mass transit from Delft or would we need to be in Rotterdam? Any advice, suggestions, or personal experiences with tours here and/or getting here would be MUCH appreciated.
Thanks,
Kaye
I expect that regular poster Wil would be able to help. He lives somewhat near there. Keep your eyes out for him or I expect he will see this thread...
Well okay here I am. :)
Nigel - Live not that close, for me the Maeslant Barrier is at the other side of the Delta Region and so still a few hours driving. I only have seen the barrier from the border in the period I was working near Rotterdam and was just completed in the late nighties.
For getting there I can give you the next info: http://www.keringhuis.nl/index.php?id=41
From an engineering point of view it´s absolutely worth to visit, but actually that are the other barriers too. All have ofcourse holding back the floods, but differ in the way they are constructed. If possible rent a car and make a tour through the Delta Region and include a few quaint villages like Zierikzee, Goedereede and if possible Veere.
Coming Saturday September 19th the gates will close during the annual test closing, checking the barrier is ready for coming storm season. For that tours can be booked, see: http://www.keringhuis.nl/index.php?id=74
Thank you Nigel and Wil. I can always count on this travel forum. Wil, we come from an area near the Sacramento River Delta, have of lots dams too, and have had Dutch engineering experts here in Northern California to advise our flood control engineers. It will be so great to see the Dutch engineering and I had NO IDEA there were more barrier controls than the Maeslant (other than the one near Venice). So excited and thanks for the help!!
Kaye
Kaye,
That may be covered in more detail in future editions of the RS guidebooks, since that site is visited on his Holland & Belgium tour. It is indeed an incredible engineering achievement!
Yes, I've taken a tour there. The large ball joints on the gates are 10 metres in diameter, so it's HUGE! There's an interesting visitor centre there with many displays, and as I recall they offer guided tours. Walking underneath the huge arms provides some perspective of the size. One other interesting aspect is that control of the gates is entirely determined by a computer, so no human intervention is required.
In order to get to the site, this link may help....
https://www.rome2rio.com/s/Rotterdam/Het-Keringhuis
The website of the facility is.....
http://www.keringhuis.nl/index.php?id=37
Unfortunately, there "Directions" page only seems to be in Dutch so I wasn't able to decipher that. There should be Buses heading out there from Rotterdam, but if necessary I'd also consider a Taxi.
Good luck!
Kaye, Look up "Delta Works" in Wikipedia. The whole thing is humongous, the Maeslant Barrier is just part of it. Basically the southern 40-50% of the country is the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and protected by a series of fixed and mobile barriers. It is a long time since I was last there, but it needs a car to really appreciate it. There are roads across most of the fixed barriers.
There is an exhibition you can visit here: http://www.neeltjejans.nl/en/plan-your-visit/
It might not have enough technical detail for you.
Kaye - Aha that explains the interest :) Good to know you live in a similar region too, so you know how it is to live under comparable circumstances. Btw I can easily spot the Folsom Dam with Google Maps.
Ken – The website you mention has some info in english too, see the links in my earlier post, or see the pulldown menu under the Union Jack in the upper right corner.
The Delta Works are initially made to protect us against flooding, but is just part of a whole complex system to control the flow of water in the region. Being the drainpit of our neighbouring countries, rivers are also a risk for flooding. A movable barrier like the Haringvlietsluizen regulates the flow of the main rivers to the sea for instance. As the majority of the land in the delta is below see level a system of ditches, canals, sluices and pumps regulate the amount of water not only keeping our feets dry, but also keeping the ground water at the desired level to maximize crop production, but also to avoid sinking (“inklinken” in Dutch) of land if the level is too low. Also sea water salinizates land along the shores making the soil less profitable, so we must keep that under control too. Besides that transport over water must remain possible, not to forget the delicate shellfish fishery. So water management makes it possible to combine all these elements and make them work together as good as possible. Quite a lot of effort has to be made......though.
So the dams, barriers, dykes etc. are the visible part of that plan / system, the Maeslant Barrier was the last project completing the Delta Works. Directions for getting to the Barrier see the first link in my earlier post. If possible visit that other massive project the Oosterschelde Storm Surge Barrier and the “Watersnoodmuseum” near Ouwerkerk / Zierikzee too.
I really hope you enjoy your visit.
Wil,
I found English information on the main page, but not on the "Directions" page. I tried a couple of times, but perhaps I was choosing the wrong options. In any case, I'm sure it won't be too much of a problem to get there from Rotterdam.
Ken – The first link in my first post brings you directly to the “Directions” page in English. There are direct trains from Rotterdam Centraal to Hoek van Holland Haven, 30min. Coming from Delft you need to change trains in Schiedam, just west of Rotterdam, total time 37min.
The barrier is located some 4km away from the station in Hoek van Holland, so you can take a taxi or rent very Dutch style a bike.
Thank you all so much. My daughter and husband watched some videos of the Maeslant barrier on YouTube. Must have been the test closing day. It was amazing. Even I (not an engineer), am pretty excited to see it. I have also looked into the Delta Works and will be adjusting our itinerary to fit in more visits. Looks like we might rent a car for a few days to get around. As always, this forum is a great resource. Thanks again.
(Wil...I live about 800 meters from Folsom Lake/Dam. Got to love Google Earth!!)''
Kaye
Kaye, this is such an interesting topic. Thanks for starting the thread.
Well Kaye don´t have to tell what a dam like the Folsom Dam means for you in daily life living so close to it. I´m quite certain with this background you, your husband and your daughter will get more involved in the visit. I have spend my entire youth living near a dike of a canal beneath the water level and it never came to my mind to be worried about safety.
Feel free to ask more questions here on the forum or if you like just send a pm.
