Green light given to Fehmarnbelt tunnel
4 November 2020A top German court has overruled all legal and environmental objections to the planned Fehmarnbelt road and railway tunnel between Germany and Denmark, in effect giving the go-ahead to the US$8.2bn project.
The result is seen as a ‘historic milestone’ for one of Europe’s largest infrastructure projects. The 18km immersed tube tunnel beneath the Baltic Sea will link Puttgarden, Germany with Rødbyhavn, Denmark.
Preparatory work on the Danish side has been ongoing since November 2019. Dutch contractor consortium Fehmarn Belt Contractors has been working on the tunnel element factory, as well as the portal and ramp structures at Rødbyhavn.
A total of 79 hollow, reinforced concrete elements – around 217m long, 42m wide and 9m high – and 10 special elements (incorporating a lower floor) will form the tunnel; cast on land, they will be floated out to sea and sunk into a pre-dredged trench on the sea bed.
Following an external review of the project’s overall finances and risks, the total tunnel budget includes a reserve of US$1bn. The project costs will be financed through government-guaranteed loans to be repaid through user tolls.
In 2017, project owner Femern signed contracts with Ramboll-Arup-TEC JV for the supply of client consultancy services, and with ÅF – Hansen & Henneberg for the supply of in-house consultancy services.
Due to open in 2029, the structure will be the world’s longest immersed tube tunnel and the longest combined road and rail tunnel underwater. Its completion will facilitate freight and passenger travel between Scandinavia and mainland Europe.
