As a range of battery-electric equipment will be used to construct the Princess Alexia Viaduct on Maasvlakte 2, the Port of Rotterdam Authority has equipped its construction site with a power connection and a dedicated charging station.
In addition to electric trucks, battery-powered construction equipment includes asphalters, rollers, screeders, excavators, telehandlers, a loader and a mobile crane. Personnel can also charge electric cars on the site.
In the tender for the project to construct the Princess Alexia Viaduct, bidders were given the opportunity to do so as sustainably as possible. BAM fulfilled this requirement by offering environmentally conscious materials, such as sustainable concrete and asphalt, as well as emission-free equipment. This is now fully operational, thanks to the fast chargers and a transformer station on the project site, which draws power from its own Stedin connection point.
Sustainable solutions
According to the partners, this project has also seen an assortment of unprecedented, energy-efficient measures implemented for the Port of Rotterdam Authority. For example, electric asphalt sets have been on the market in the Netherlands for only a few years. A screeder, which applies the layer that makes the asphalt adhere to the concrete sub-base, was one-week-old when it arrived.
The large quantities of sand required for construction will be sourced from another nearby project using electric trucks. This saves a lot of distances in transportation, which minimizes emissions and the burden on the road network.
The new viaduct will be built over the railway line and personnel who need to cross the tracks during construction will do so via a special temporary footbridge. Finally, to manage accessibility in a smart way and to guarantee safe working at the same time, roads will first be temporarily rerouted so that heavy goods traffic can continue to flow without being hindered by the construction of the new road and viaduct.
The Prinses Alexia Viaduct project
The Princess Alexia Viaduct consists of an overpass junction over the Maasvlakteweg, near the Prinses Alexiahaven. It bridges the industrial pipeline corridor, the utility pipeline corridor, the Container Exchange Route (CER) and the railway. The viaduct also connects to the Mekongweg and Máximaweg roads via single-level crossings. The Port of Rotterdam Authority is doubling the number of lanes on the Maasvlakteweg to two lanes in each direction and constructing a cycle path along the Mekongweg. Upon completion of this project, the Princess Alexia Viaduct will replace the existing level junction.
Owing to the limited traffic intensities in the first few years after Maasvlakte 2 has been opened commercially, it was decided in the construction phase to create a temporary single-level crossing on the Maasvlakteweg adjacent to the Prinses Alexiahaven. In the coming years, road- and rail-traffic flows will increase due to the development of the new factories and terminals around the Alexiahaven and the growth of container throughput.
Much higher traffic flows are also expected in the construction phase of these areas. The Prinses Alexiaviaduct provides sufficient capacity to absorb this and ensures accessibility well into for the future, as well as ensuring traffic from the Maasvlakteweg runs safely and smoothly and connects well with the area around the Alexiahaven.
Ordering in good time
While the first pile for the project was driven in April 2025, preparations began several years ago. Port Engineer Ronald van den Berg of the Port of Rotterdam Authority, stated, “We entered into discussions with Stedin about plans for this charging station a long time ago. In their plan for a new 66kV substation, we jointly determined a route for 23kV that took into account the location of our future construction site. The cable was in front of the gate, so after BAM’s request, the expected temporary connection point could be quickly connected. Otherwise, we would have had to wait another two years for the charging station to be connected to the mains.
Theo Hartman, a specialist in temporary facilities for civil infrastructure in large projects, was engaged by BAM to design sustainable solutions for the construction of the Princess Alexia Viaduct. Hartman explained, “The fact that the project could now start on time underlines the importance of sound planning and early consultation with grid operators to ensure the feasibility of connections. With the growing demand for electrical equipment and larger temporary power connections, the issue of grid congestion in the future cannot be underestimated. This will also affect the feasibility of these types of connections.”
In related news, the Port of Rotterdam Authority recently began trialling a fully electric hydrofoil patrol vessel as part of a pilot scheme for its fleet renewal program. Read the full story here