Mapping the surrounding environment of the A16 – Groene Boog consortium

De Groene Boog, a consortium of contractors consisting of Besix, Dura Vermeer, Van Oord and TBI, is leading an ambitious project. On behalf of the Directorate-General for Public Works and Water Management, a new motorway is being built to link the A13 at Rotterdam The Hague Airport with the A16/A20 at Terbregseplein. Iv made a valuable contribution to this project with its in-house developed 3D scan car. The 3D scan car is equipped with advanced equipment that facilitates mapping immediate surroundings with great precision, safely and without imposing traffic measures. The 3D scan car contributed to an accurate mapping and analysis of the surrounding environment of the new to-be-built motorway, which was essential for the design and planning of the A16 in Rotterdam.

To best fit a new (motorway) road into the existing environment, it is crucial to establish an exact representation of the environment and the location of everything in it. This knowledge avoids any potential clashes with the existing environment. Mapping the environment can be a huge and time-consuming task, often requiring road closures while measurements are taken. Not only is this disruptive to traffic flow, but the cost can exceed €10,000 in extreme cases. This can be avoided with the 3D Scan Car. In just a few days, Iv collected a vast amount of data and processed it into a clean point cloud and 360-degree photos. The contractor can easily extract all the information needed to adapt the design to the environment.

Scanning the environment with the 3D scan car saves time and money. It is often the case that clients still have questions once the site has been measured. This was the case when mapping the area where the new A16 will be constructed. The initial request was to map all the roads and viaducts in the area. However, because the scan car also measures the surrounding area within 5 millimetres, much more information can be extracted from the measurements. All the information needed is available in the point cloud or 360-degree photos. Calculating the dimensions of objects or surfaces from these photos is even possible without needing separate software. Smart data processing automation gives contractors faster access to all the necessary information. For example, thanks to the scan car, the contractor consortium De Groene Boog was able to start the road design of the new A16 in Rotterdam ahead of schedule.