The storm surge barrier in the Neva Bay is intended to protect Saint Petersburg and its 5 million residents from floods. Construction began already in 1980, but it was not completed due to environmental issues. From 2003 to 2008, DHV and its partners worked on the completion of the storm surge barrier. We were responsible for the design, the tendering process, and support of execution. With a length of 25 km, the storm surge barrier is one of the most complex barriers in the world.

Background

The initial plans for the construction of the storm surge barrier date from 1923. The Russians began construction in 1979. That construction was suddenly stopped in 1988 due to a presumed negative impact on the environment. In 1990, an international committee concluded that the environmental impact of the storm surge barrier was acceptable and recommended that the construction be completed as soon as possible. In 2003, the client, Gosstroy, finally entered into a contract with an international consortium for the completion of the storm surge barrier. The consortium consisted of DHV, British Halcrow, Norwegian Norplan, and the Russian subcontractor Lenhydroproject.

Project

With a length of approximately 25 kilometers, the storm surge barrier is the largest and most complex barrier in the world. The barrier is outfitted with six lock complexes, a tunnel, a moveable bridge, 23 kilometers of dikes, and two passages for shipping that can be closed off. The design of one of those passages has been modeled on the Rotterdam Maeslant Barrier and is moveable. A highway has been built over the entire length of the barrier, serving as a beltway around Saint Petersburg. The total construction cost amounted to 1.2 billion dollars.

As the consortium leader, DHV was responsible for the complex hydraulic engineering barriers, the dikes, and the tunnel construction. The work concerned geotechnical surveys, determination of the preconditions concerning waves, and two- and three-dimensional mathematical and physical modeling. In addition, it concerned the design of dikes, moveable barriers, bank revetments, breakwaters, dredging and land reclamation, the harbor for maintenance work, construction of quays, L-shaped structures in high-density concrete, the tunnel under the navigable channel, and the encasing of the steel doors belonging to the largest moveable barrier.