General Overview of the Fehmarnbelt Project
Type:
Presented during:
WODCON XXIII - Dredging is changing - The Practice. The Science. The Business.
Authors:
C. Iversen, F. Mølsted Rasmussen, A. van der Weck, B. Nacar, P. van der Klis
Abstract
"This paper describes the general background and need for the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link Project as an 18 km immersed tunnel between Denmark (Rødbyhavn) and Germany (Puttgarden) - filling the infrastructural gap with a combined motorway and rail connection between Scandinavia and mainland Europe and hence being part of the Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T). It first gives a general overview by showing the tunnel alignment and the areas around its alignment including portal and ramps structures, the work harbours as supply points, the Tunnel Element Factory and the Reclamation Areas along the Danish and German coastlines. The technical development in construction methodology since the Great Belt - and the Øresund Fixed Link projects is being portrayed as well as special characteristics of the Fixed Link Tunnel layout, the construction scheme (from trench dredging to backfill), the geological peculiarities of the soil conditions at Fehmarnbelt, the dredging methods and equipment, the handling of unexploded ordnances (UXO) and finally the soil handling. More detailed aspects give insight into the Contractor's choice of dredging equipment and methodology including the critical handling of the various soil types within the reclamation areas, i.e. challenges of dredging of hard till formations containing a large number of big boulders, the construction of containment dikes around the reclamation areas, the construction of the work harbour breakwaters, basin and access channel. Further, the presentation also gives an understanding of the extensive UXO investigations, which were carried out starting with a comprehensive desk study followed by multiple surveys up to detection and clearance. Finally, the paper concludes with the "lessons learned" during the Project execution."
Keywords: Project background, Immersed Tunnel layout, Construction sequences, Dredging technology incl. soil handling, Navigational Safety