Cause of Juliana Canal construction pit failure determined
Rijkswaterstaat commissioned Deltares to investigate the cause of the failure of the construction pit on the Juliana Canal between Berg and Obbicht. The construction pit flooded in February 2023, two months after work began. It was determined that a combination of circumstances eventually led to underflow of the sheet piling (a flow of water through and/or under the sheet piling). Within seven minutes, the construction pit flooded with water from the canal.
Conclusion
Systematic research was carried out during the study, with the aim of learning from this situation and preventing it in future (sub)projects. During the investigation, Deltares analysed measurements, video footage, and eyewitness accounts. We concluded that water flowed under the sheet piling from the canal side (underflow). This process may have been triggered by a leakage in the wall, which may have been caused by out-of-lock or damaged sheet piling. After the water breach occurred, the wall collapsed as a result of water pressure. The reason for the occurrence of this failure mechanism could not be determined.
Making the Meuse accessible
The construction pit on the on the Juliana Canal will have to be removed in a safe and responsible manner. The widening work will also have to be completed. Rijkswaterstaat is and will remain in talks with those in the area, and with the canal’s users. The Juliana Canal is an important lifeline for many large and small companies, and a key shipping route. To make the Meuse river more accessible for large shipping, the Juliana canal has been deepened and widened in several places since 2012, across a stretch of 26 kilometres. The last section to be widened is the three kilometre stretch between Berg and Obbicht.
