Preparation of the construction site
Before construction of the Fehmarnbelt tunnel could begin, the huge construction site had to be prepared with water, electricity, water channels and access roads so that it was ready for the contractors.
Around the construction site, over four kilometres of cycle paths and footbridges were built, which ensures that cyclists and pedestrians can easily and safely bypass the site during construction.
Work harbour has a key role
The contractors' first task was to establish the huge work harbour at Rødbyhavn. The harbour plays a key role in the construction phase. Delivery of raw materials such as stone, sand, gravel and steel by sea to the construction site avoids extensive and heavy transport by HGVs.
Furthermore, the work harbour is needed for shipping out the finished tunnel elements.
On the German side at Puttgarden, a smaller harbour has been built to transport raw materials during the construction of the tunnel portal on the German side.
The world's largest tunnel factory
The next step was to build the tunnel element factory itself. The factory at Rødbyhavn covers approximately 1.5 million square metres and has six production lines for the standard and special elements.
Slightly west of the production facility, a large accommodation area has been built for the tunnel workers, together with office and administration facilities.
Special vessels dredged the tunnel trench
The 18 km long tunnel trench, into which the elements will be immersed, has been dredged in the Fehmarnbelt. In total, 15 million cubic metres of sand, stone and soil have been excavated. The material has been transported to large land reclamation areas off the coast of Lolland.
Specially designed dredging vessels conducted the dredging operation. In the coastal areas dredging barges with backhoes were deployed. Out in the deeper waters so-called grab dredgers and sand suckers were used.
