Government-owned planning body for the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link, Femern, announced last week that the soil documentation for the link project has been completed.
“There are no geological or geotechnical obstacles to constructing a fixed link in the area,” said Jens Kammer, geotechnical manager at Femern.
“The result of our studies is largely as we had expected based on the previous feasibility studies of the 1990s. However, we have now ascertained that the clay layers close to the coastal regions have been disturbed more by the glaciers of the ICE age than previously assumed.”
“By the Danish coast, this so-called palaeogenic layer of clay is placed so deeply that it will not be affected by the pending construction work. However, by the German coast, earthworks will occur in the palaeogenic clay layer because the layer is very close to the seabed in this area.
“To obtain further geotechnical information and practical experience with work in this specific type of clay layer, Femern has established a special test field off the German coast. Experiments to measure and observe movements in the earth under various conditions of stress are currently conducted here, and will be continued in the coming years.
“The geotechnical knowledge that we have today is sufficiently detailed for experts to create a full picture of the geological conditions of Fehmarnbelt. Therefore, any interested construction companies can begin to work on the available data even now, so they are well prepared when the construction work is put out to tender in the coming years.”
The full report was made available by Femern on their website: http://www.femern.com/Home/Publications
