One with nature

Van Schie installs more and more of these Kokowall sound barriers, sometimes up to ten meters high. In Ede, however, the challenge lay not in the height, but in the various undulations of the terrain, a former defense training area. Moreover, it was a matter of precisely following the curves of the various traffic circles. The main contractor – Van Gelder – had to pull out all the stops to create a plan in which nature was optimally spared. Sustainability, ecology and greenery are highly valued by the municipality of Ede. That is why not-too-high screens were chosen, consisting of natural materials (coconut fibers) and recyclable frames.

Floating bike path

In addition, the contractor has constructed a so-called ‘floating’ bike path at a few points, to protect the tree roots of some red beech trees. Such a bike path consists of a (raised) floor of plastic ‘crates’ linked together by a click system, a construction that ensures that the tree roots under the path have room to grow. The new road forms the final piece in the connection between the A12 and the N224. The noise barriers are 700 meters long along this stretch of road and will later be covered with hedera so that they blend in with the greenery of the surroundings.