Rijkswaterstaat (RWS) plays a central role in promoting sustainability within Dutch road construction. Under the transition pathway "Pavement," RWS focuses on reducing raw material use, promoting high-quality recycling, and making asphalt production more sustainable. With the ambition to become climate-neutral and circular by 2030, RWS is intensifying its efforts in this area.
A major challenge lies in the fragmented management of the Dutch road network. RWS is responsible for 18% of the roads (mainly highways), provinces manage 12%, and the 342 municipalities oversee as much as 70%. This fragmentation results in significant differences in expertise, resources, and types of pavement. Smaller municipalities, in particular, often lack the capacity to independently implement sustainable innovations.
To accelerate the transition, RWS collaborates with provinces and municipalities through sector platforms such as CIRCUROAD and the National Platform for Sustainable GWW. These platforms provide space for knowledge exchange and joint innovation. However, coordinated action remains difficult due to the abundance of communication channels and the lack of a shared overview.
Several strategies are being proposed to improve collaboration and communication between public authorities:
By taking these steps, RWS and its partners can overcome fragmentation and work together toward a circular, climate-neutral infrastructure.
**There are many (knowledge) infrastructure platforms in the Netherlands — such as Duurzame Infra, NPDW, Circulaw, De Verschilmakers, Platform WOW, Stichting Pioneering, HNN, and others.**
The knowledge is fragmented, and organizations, governments, and professionals are overwhelmed by the number of platforms and the volume of information. This make it more difficult for our partners to find the good information. This has to be more intelligently done, to help the sector.
1. **How can we effectively engage Dutch municipalities and provinces and encourage them to make the right choice for a sustainable road?**
2. **There are many (knowledge) infrastructure platforms in the Netherlands — such as Duurzame Infra, NPDW, De Verschilmakers, Platform WOW, Stichting Pioneering, HNN, and others.**
The knowledge is fragmented, and organizations, governments, and professionals are overwhelmed by the number of platforms and the volume of information. How can we tackle this challenge more intelligently, together with the sector?
An innovative idea to connect governamental institutions.
Rijkswaterstaat is the executive organization of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management and works daily to ensure a safe, liveable and accessible Netherlands. We want to live in a country that is protected from flooding. A country with sufficient greenery and sufficient, clean water. And where we can get from A to B quickly and safely. The people of Rijkswaterstaat are committed to this every day. With more than 200 years of knowledge of the organization of our country, they know that this is more than the technical implementation of projects on road and water. It is also about the balance between all those interests: the economy, the environment, the enjoyment of living. Rijkswaterstaat therefore involves citizens in the design of their living environment and collaborates with, for example, water boards, municipalities, companies and knowledge institutes. In this way we work together on sustainable solutions for a safe, liveable and accessible Netherlands.