Between the 1880s and early 1900s, the modernization of the Ghent–Terneuzen Canal was driven by the need to keep pace with increasing ship sizes and the transition from sail to steam. Following bilateral agreements between Belgium and the Netherlands, major works were launched to widen, deepen and upgrade the canal and its locks.

Playing a key role in the early phase of these works, Nicolaas van Haaren, working together with Hendrikus Theodorus Wiegerinck, was awarded the contract to construct a side canal east of Sas van Gent and to widen and deepen the Dutch section of the canal in 1882. These works, completed just three years later, delivered a canal 6.5 meters deep and 68 meters wide at the waterline - an impressive feat for its time.

By the turn of the century, new locks, bridges, and harbor dikes were constructed in Terneuzen, Sluiskil, and Sas van Gent. Nicolaas van Haaren and Hendrik Willem Ackermans combined leadership and technical expertise that proved instrumental throughout these works, with family members personally standing surety for the works and navigating complex cross-border agreements.