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Tunnel Behringen

3 tunnels were built parallel for the first time in Germany. As part of the new A 71 motorway between Erfurt and Schweinfurt in the Free State of Thuringia - as part of the Deutsche Einheit traffic project - the Behringen motorway tunnel makes up part of the convergence road parallel to the Deutsche Bahn's new Erfurt to Ebensfeld line. The route of the A 71 is guided through the Osterberg located to the north-west of Behringen in 2 separate tubes. The distance between axes for the tubes amounts to 26.8 m, the clear distance amounts to around 16 m. The 2-track tunnel for the new railway line runs parallel to the motorway tunnel with a distance between axes of 44 m. The tunnel's overburden ranges from 9 to 31 m. There is no link between the railway and motorway tunnels, the 2 motorway tunnel tubes are joined via a crosscut. Mainly mottled Sandstone (red and myophor layers) as well as Lower and Middle Shell Lime were encountered. The Behringen Tunnel also penetrates the so-called Hainich-Saalfelder fault zone with thrusts and folds, which was caused by the rift valley break in the Thuringian basin. The excavation and securing operations in the individual tubes were attuned as finely as possible to each other on account of the unfavourable ground properties and documented by means of accompanying geotechnical measurements and checked to ensure they were effective. An excavator was used for heading in the red and myophor layers. Sections with shell lime were driven via drill+blast. The maximum length of advance in each case amounted to 1.4 m. The final lining was accomplished by installing a seal and a reinforced inner shell in watertight concrete.

 

  • Country: Germany
  • Region: Thüringen
  • Tunnel utilization: Traffic
  • Type of utilization: Road tunnel
  • Client: DEGES (Verkehrsprojekt Deutsche Einheit) and Deutsche Bahn AG (PB DE)
  • Consulting Engineer: BPI
  • Contractor: Ed. Züblin AG
  • Main construction method: Trenchless
  • Type of excavation: Drill-and-blast
  • Lining: In-situ concrete
  • No. of tubes: 3
  • Tunnel total length: 3 x 465 m
  • Diameter: mining means 141 m² und 2 x 101 m²
  • Contract Volume: approx. 42 mill. DM
  • Construction start/end: 1996 to 1999
  • Opening: 1998 (Motorway Tunnel)