Zeswielentracé

A hard sell

The 'Zeswielen' project concerns the construction of a new road with a length of about 550 meters along the railway Alkmaar - Den Helder which connects the ring road of Alkmaar to the old town and the new development area 'Overstad'. "The project is subject for discussion for almost 35 years already because the solution is a rather 'hard sell'" said Tjeerd Koudenburg, project leader for the city of Alkmaar. "It is difficult because the road goes through about thirty adjoining gardens. Alternatives have always been rejected for several reasons. A road around the back of the plan has now proven itself the least worst solution."

Consequences

"The Virtual Scale Model is very important for this project because it provides an understanding of the consequences of the project. This includes the construction of this new road, but also a lot of related matters, such as noise barriers and anti-glare screens," says Koudenburg. "We also need to cross a bicycle tunnel under the railway. For those directly affected, judgement has so far been very difficult, especially because it is difficult to exactly imagine the spatial consequences. There was a lot of opposition to the construction of this road."

Unambiguous

"Te Virtual Scale Model has made clear what the future will look like," says Koudenburg. "Involved parties are still struggling with the construction of the road, but at least now everybody knows what they are talking about." During the information event that was held about the construction of this road, the town's traditional Powerpoint presentation was combined with a presentation of the Virtual Scale Model. "It was as if the camera in the literally followed the presentation."

Collaboration

"The cooperation with 3D capacity aws excellent. The attitude of the company is flexible and are very responsive to changes that naturally occur during such planning process. The Virtual Scale Model also allowed the town to make a responsible choice for the positioning of the noise barriers."