[1][2] The works were conceived in response to the North Sea flood of 1953, as a result of which it was decided to close the inlets in Zeeland and South Holland.

The committee which oversaw the Delta Works concluded that it was necessary to construct two compartmentalisation dams, the Grevelingendam and the Volkerakdam, to close the inlets.

[3][4] The Volkerakdam has a supporting environmental function with regard to the primary dams of the Oosterscheldekering, the Brouwersdam and the Haringvlietdam, controlling volumes of freshwater from the Maas and the Waal which enter the waters around Zeeland.

[3] Johan van Veen made extensive studies of the Volkerak with a view to improving the situation, and in 1929 he came up with a solution in the form of guiding dams.

[8] Due to the potential effects of the works on shipping between Antwerp and Rotterdam, the authorities in Belgium were involved in the development of the design.

The increased cost of the resulting longer dam was mitigated by the fact that the more northerly location facilitated construction at a much reduced water depth.

[8] The effects of the construction of the Volkerakdam on tide levels in the area of the lower rivers has been identified at several locations around adjacent water bodies, as shown in the table and graph below.

The tide on the Oosterschelde side of the dam increased, the high water at Tiengemeten and Willemstad dropped by 30 centimetres, with the difference becoming smaller along the Dordtsche Kil and the Noord.

[10] The design of the abutment caissons was undertaken to minimize scour downstream of the dam, arising from vortices generated by the large vertical head above the sill of the structure.

The installation of these special units could be undertaken in a matter of days, therefore reducing the amount of time in which large currents were permitted to flow underneath the gradually closing hole, and limiting the potential for scour.

[11] The section of the works located between the Hellegatsplein and North Brabant is composed of a solid dam, made up of 14 caissons in combination with locks, providing the ability for shipping to pass between Rotterdam and Antwerp.

The construction dock was strategically located to minimize towing requirements, placing the completed caissons as close as possible to the closure works.

[4] Model research revealed that steel diagonal members in the flow-through openings negatively impacted the discharge coefficient due to their rectangular shape, causing poor flow behavior.

[11] Laboratory studies on the closure's shape aimed to ensure regular flow distribution and minimize vortex street occurrences.

[13] Roads were constructed over the dam, creating traffic connections between South Holland, Zeeland and the west of North Brabant.

The intersection known as the Hellegatsplein, where the roads from Zierikzee (N59), Rotterdam (A29) and West Brabant (A29/A59) converge, is located in the middle of the dam, on the artificial island of Hellegatsplaat.

[12][14] On 21 April 1966, during excavations for the Volkerak lock complex casting basin, construction workers M. Ten Hove and A. Roelants discovered a small carved oak male human figure.