News from The Netherlands

One of the implementation requirements was that only one support should remain unprotected during renovation. There are 124 supports in total, so we looked together with the contractor for a smart way to protect the supports with a speedy installation time and the ability to work on several supports at the same time.

After an internal evaluation, regional tunnel manager Frank Van der Wal decided to propose Microtherm Overstitched 3x10mm combined with a Dalfratherm blanket. As underpinning, we conducted a successful test at Warrington Tisselt (ex-Promat Fire Lab) and thereby convinced Rijkswaterstaat. The cooperation and support from Etex Industry & Microtherm was great. To work on more than one support at a time and reduce application time, the contractor used 4 suspended work platforms. The work platforms are protected with PROMATECT®-H boards so that the unprotected supports are protected by the work platform during the renovation works. During the works, the tunnel is open to traffic which is a huge advantage for the owner and, of course, road users around Rotterdam.