The ElbX Crossing Structure – Connection Beneath the Elbe River
Credit/Quelle: TenneT Germany
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: TenneT Germany
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: Imagocura
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: Sascha Boxheimer
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle (3): ARGE Tunnel ElbX
Credit/Quelle: ARGE Tunnel ElbX
As part of the construction of the approximately 700 km long SuedLink high-voltage direct current transmission line, the Elbe River between Wewelsfleth (in Schleswig-Holstein, near Glückstadt) and Wischhafen (in Lower Saxony) had to be crossed via a 5.2 km long walkable tunnel structure. In addition to the tunnel, access and jointing chambers with operational buildings must be constructed on a turnkey basis at both ends to connect the transmission cables running through the tunnel to the underground cable routes. This article provides an overview of the construction project, the status of the works up to August 2026, and the experience gained from mechanised tunnel boring in mixed geological conditions.
1 Background and Project Objectives
The SuedLink, a 700 km-long high-voltage direct current (HVDC) transmission line running along Germany’s north-south axis, comprises two projects under the German Federal Requirements Plan Act. “Route 3” runs from Brunsbüttel, north of the River Elbe, to Großgartach/Leingarten in the north of Baden-Württemberg, and “Route 4” runs from Wilster, also north of the River Elbe, to Bergrheinfeld/West in Bavaria. Both projects run parallel for a large part of the route to minimise the impact of construction work on people and the natural environment along the...
