Introduction
Innovatiestrook is a concept I created for a Battle of Concepts contest which was organized by the Dutch Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment. The concept has won the first prize and will likely be implemented within the next years.
Concept design
The Innovatiestrook is a lane next to a highway (to be determined), on which sustainable infrastructure (white asphalt, solar roadways, sustainable lighting, and much more) can be both tested and exhibited. With this new (easily closable) lane, Rijkswaterstaat and its partners can quickly test new sustainable ideas and inspire the public and companies without the expensive consequences of closing a highway.
The jury
The jury, consisting of the board of directors of Rijkswaterstaat and officials from the Ministry, awarded the concept with the first prize. They wrote in their report (English below):
"Wat een fantastisch idee!" was één van de enthousiaste reacties op dit concept! Echt een etalage voor IenM, met dit concept geef je als organisatie letterlijk ruimte aan innovatie en maak je optimaal gebruik van innovatiekracht uit de samenleving, zo zijn we met RWS al veel bezig (denkend aan het innovatie testcentrum) en zijn er ook al wat testlocaties, maar we verbinden dit nog niet direct aan de verschillende gebruikers.
"What a fantastic idea!" was one of the enthusiastic responses to the concept! It really is a shop window for Infrastructure and Environment, with this concept we can optimally make use of the innovative power in society. With Rijkswaterstaat we are already working in this way (thinking about an innovative test center) and there are some test locations already, but we do not yet connect this to the various users.
InnovA58 Project
The InnovA58 project has chosen to integrate the Innovatiestrook concept into their plans of making a sustainable and futuristic highway design. In this section, you can read more (Dutch) information on this project.
€70.000.000
As of 2018, it was published in the government journal ('Staatscourant') that the Innovatiestrook concept will be an integral part of the Innova58 project. Different embodiments are currently being analyzed in a MIRT-evaluation (Multi-year program for Infrastructure, Spatial Planning and Transport).
The funding that is needed to realize the most elaborate version of the Innovatiestrook is estimated at 70 million euros. Before starting the MIRT-evaluation, 75% of this amount - €52.5 million - has been secured for the project.
