Warnowtunnel

The Warnow Tunnel, also called Warnowquerung, is a road tunnel under the river Warnow. It connects the two banks in the north of Rostock between Schmarl and Krummendorf by a 790 meter long four-lane tunnel. It is the first privately operated toll route in Germany in transit.

History

In the 1920s, a plan for a bridge from the city harbor to Gehlsdorf was made in the amount of cannon mountain, as Warnow bridge from the plans of the late 1960s. In the land use plan from 1950 was a Warnowquerung of Gehlsdorf about Bramow towards Hamburg street in front as part of a city ring. In the General Transport Plan of 1959 a ferry service from Schmarl to Oldendorf was included. The General Transport Plan 1967 recorded in connection with the new international port and the beginning of the housing in Luetten small at this point a fixed Warnowquerung as a tunnel. This was also part of the building upon plans of the 1970s. As a result, the surrounding road works the Warnow were limited, as both sides already four-lane roads almost to the shore led ( in the West Warnowallee, the feeder to the B 103, and in the east the A19).

Soon after the turn of an application for admission to the urgent needs of the Federal Transport Infrastructure Plan was provided. However, this was not approved due to the low importance of the course for inter-regional traffic on federal trunk road network. In the General Transport Plan 1992/93 the northern Warnowquerung was called as a tunnel or viaduct. In the integrated overall transport concept in 1998, the Warnow bridge was no longer included after Gehlsdorf.

Planning and Preparation

With the amendment of 1994 Highway Private Financing Act the tunnel project was concrete. The ongoing since the turn plans were intensified and begun the necessary preparations. For the preparation of legal requirements, a plan approval procedure was carried out according to the Federal Highway Act. For this, different further south route alternatives were again analyzed with regard to their environmental impact and to test different design building solutions. In addition to the already favored an immersed tunnel bored tunnel and the construction of a high bridge, a lift bridge, a bascule bridge, a swing bridge and even a pontoon bridge was investigated. Finally, given the environmental, traffic, and economic benefits of the immersed tunnel of priority.

In addition to these variant studies the optimal integration of the route and the structure in the previously planned area of the International Horticultural Exposition 2003 had to be considered in Rostock. Another focus of this study was to estimate the cost based on the expected toll revenue, because for a toll- financed road project in Germany received but not yet experience. The particular difficulty was there in forecasting the future traffic assignment depending on the level of tolls.

As part of a Europe-wide tender the project to a consortium led by French construction company Bouygues Travaux Publics SA awarded.

The groundbreaking ceremony took place on 1 December 1999., The Group and its shareholders Macquarie Infrastructure ( Australia) invested together with a syndicate of international banks led by Deutsche Bank, the NORD / LB, KfW and EIB around 220 million euros in the Warnow Tunnel. The European Union has provided a grant available. Government grants amounted to twelve percent.

The lowering process

For tunnel seldom used in Germany lowering process was applied. The principle consists in the prefabrication of the tunnel elements in the countryside or in a dry dock and the adjoining Warming Up and lowering of the elements in the tunnel route.

For the construction of the Warnow Tunnel six about 120 meters long concrete elements with two tunnel tubes were prepared in an applied immediately before the later Western Tunnel Portal dry dock. As a connection from the dock to the Warnow served a Fluttor. After the completion of two elements, the dock was flooded and floated out the elements. To ensure the buoyancy of the according to the later tunnel route slightly curved elements, the Tare means ballast tanks was required.

The first four tunnel elements were stored in an old harbor basin of the Kvaerner shipyard in Warnemünde. At the same time tunnel trough between Schmarl and the seaport, in the later, the elements should be lowered, was dredged to a depth up to 20 meters. After completion of the last two elements of the 790 -meter-long tunnel with the Warming Up and lowering of the six elements of the construction of the tunnel portals, the sealing of the joints between the elements and the overfill to hedge against the buoyancy as well as protection against damage was produced. The deepest point in the fairway over the tunnel measures eleven meters. After the tunnel was evacuated and made ​​the technical development of the tunnel.

An interesting detail to the sealing of the joints between the tunnel elements to be mentioned. By the pressure of water that is loaded in the flexible seal joints ( joint section ) is pressed apart and thereby prevents the penetration of water into the tunnel.

Scope of the entire construction project

In addition to the 790 -meter-long tunnel structure were to closing the gap between the Federal Highway 19 in the east and the national road 103 in the west and for integration into the existing urban road network or a total of approximately 6200 meters extend two - and four-lane road layouts. This included the expansion of the motorway connection Krummendorf as the northern end of the A19, the connecting points to the Schmarler dam and the Old Warnemünde Chaussee and the partial relocation of Schmarler dam and the construction of the bypass Krummendorf with several bridges and culverts. Meaning that 19 significant transport infrastructure has also been created for the neighboring districts Schmarl, Large Small and Krummendorf and for the IGA 2003, including the HanseMesse and the A.

For operation of the tunnel continue the expansion of the toll booth in front of the eastern tunnel portal and the dynamic traffic guidance equipment in the tunnel entrances was required.

On 12 September 2003 the Warnow Tunnel was opened.

Equipment and operation

The tunnel is one of the most modern road tunnel in Germany. He has four emergency walkways, emergency exits every 150 meters and four emergency stopping bays (two per tube). The security and surveillance systems include, among others, video surveillance, height control, dynamic traffic control, manual and automatic fire alarm systems, such as carbon monoxide, smoke and air velocity measuring instruments, as well as fire extinguishers, fire hydrants and a large heat-resistant tunnel ventilation. Furthermore, traffic, emergency telephones and mobile reception are installed for all networks. The tunnel control center is staffed around the clock.

Prices for a drive-through depends on the type of vehicle, the payment method and the season. Thus, prices for a section of the tunnel in the months of May to October are in cash or money card payment higher than in the rest of the year. The toll can be paid also by a previously with a monetary amount to be charged Map ( Oscard ). Last one was to be installed in the vehicle radio transmitter (tag), can be automated by a credit account through the gates opening and debiting introduced. Pedestrians and cyclists can pass through the tunnel only with trains running buses here the Rostock Tramway AG at normal prices. For transporting bicycles in 2003 specially equipped buses were used.

From the outset, the use of the tunnel fell far short of expectations. After 3.5 years of operation of the tunnel elfmillionste driver was counted on 16 March 2007, on 12 September, the thirteen- millionth tunnel driver. This corresponds to approximately 11,100 vehicles daily. In order to operate the tunnel profitable but a workload of approximately 20,000 cars per day, is necessary. A traffic was forecast to 1994 by 30,000 vehicles every working day from. End of 2004, declared from 14 banks existing financial consortium that the insolvency of the project between 2005 and 2006 was inevitable based on current commitments. To an impending insolvency of the company avert Warnowquerung ( WQG ), the operating agreement was renewed in June 2006. Now the WQG 50 years ( previously 30 years) time to refinance their investments before the tunnel changes ownership and belongs to the town of Rostock.

At the turn of 2006/2007 there were the first time since the founding of a price change. The toll for trucks dropped to a maximum of 13 € to make the tunnel towards the ring over A 19 and A 20 attractive. In addition, the upper limit for cars of 1.90 m rising to 2.05 m; so vans and minibuses can now pass to the car price. However, car prices rose in return. The cash price in summer rose from 2.50 € to 2.80 €; In 2009 he was raised to € 2.90 and in May 2011 to 3.20 €. In addition, the reduction for electronic payment declined, so that the passage price of 1.50 € to 1.70 € rose. As of March 2008, the prices for the off season and the discount prices for electronic payment increased. Since early 2012, prices were again increased, from May to October, a car pays € 3.40, and from November to April 2,70 €.

In October 2009, the 21 millionth vehicle passed through the tunnel. The daily transport capacity remains at about 11,000 cars and the expectation for 2030 is now estimated at 16000-17000 movements daily

Warnowtunnel Party

The Department of Transportation Mecklenburg- Vorpommern revoked in July 2010 as a result of the accident at the Love Parade in Duisburg, the approval of the Road Office of the Warnow Tunnel Party - an electric event, to be held on September 11, 2010 for the second time in Warnowtunnel after 2009. The organizer of the tunnel Party (Agency Plaspo Event ) announced on 19 August 2010 the press known to allow the celebration to take place anyway, since the permit was revoked wrongly ( " the license has been revoked wrongly, our security concept is consistent "). The FDP in Rostock calls for a continued existence. Even at the last techno party with 4000 visitors in Warnowtunnel on 12 September 2009, the police had expressed concern after visitors to the event to walk on the highway had been traveling.

Gallery

View of the construction site before the west tunnel portal

Vertical curvature at the low point

Entrance of the Warnow tunnel at night