After a period of downtime, work on the Wilhelminasluis (Lock) in Zaandam was resumed in February. The renewed lock will be ready by the end of 2020. The adjacent Wilhelmina-bridge and Beatrix-bridge will also be renewed, as well as the public space. The lock dates from 1903. The current lock is 120 meters long, has a clearance width of 12 meters and a depth of 3.2 meters. The new lock will eventually be 156 meters long, 14 meters wide and 4.7 meters deep. Larger and more efficient By renewing the lock, the Zaan will become more accessible to the larger, modern inland vessels of CEMT class Va (110×11.40 meters). The locking process will be more efficient due to the modern straight form. This reduces the waiting time for road traffic. In addition, the largest ships can now pass fully loaded through the lock. Impediment The work on the lock and the bridges is accompanied by some nuisance. Since the end of March this year there is a width limit of the lock to max CEMT IV (max 86×9.5m). This summer, from the end of June, apply to shipping block times. This is also at the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020. The block times apply for three periods of five weeks. In the spring of 2020 there will be a complete blockage of approximately eight weeks. For more information, visit the website of the Province of North Holland www.noord-holland.nl