Considered an engineering masterpiece, the St Pauli Elbtunnel opened in 1911. The fischer injection mortar FIS EM Plus is being used together with 27mm diameter threaded rods during the comprehensive restoration and secures the new traditionally built stairway that leads down to depths of almost 24m.
Two tunnels with a length of 426.5m connect the northern harbour edge by the St Pauli Landungsbrücken Piers with Steinwerder island. It’s a route that around 45,000 people took every day when the underwater crossing went into operation on 7th September 1911. It was Europe’s first river tunnel at the time.
The project was a tremendous responsibility and a great structural challenge for Hamburg’s Port Authority (HPA), which is planning and supervising the comprehensive renovation work on the St Pauli Elbtunnel on behalf of the city of Hamburg. The entire tubbing construction in the eastern tunnel has already been uncovered and assessed, with rivet and screw connections having been replaced and joints being sealed.
The wall tiles, lane and lighting have been renewed and restored using traditional methods in close cooperation with the Foundation for Monument Protection. The tunnel was also fitted with modern technical equipment including an automatic payment system, smoke detectors and much more. After renovations on the eastern tunnel were successfully completed and it was reopened on 26th April, the restoration work has continued in the western tunnel since 3rd June 2018.
Two new flights of stairs are being built for pedestrians as part of the tunnel’s renovation. The fischer injection mortar FIS EM Plus was used together with an M27 threaded rod to secure the 20m tall structure on the south side. “The chemical fixing system is the safe choice for permanently carrying heavy loads in concrete even under extreme conditions such as areas prone to earthquakes,” emphasises Arne Saggau, fischer application field engineer, who is providing substantial support to the project. “The ETA of our FIS EM Plus confirms a working life of up to 100 years. A report by the IEA engineering firm even confirms a working life of up to 120 years.”
In addition to secure fixing solutions, the client was also impressed by the comprehensive range of services that fischer provided to all those involved in construction throughout every stage of the project. Arne Saggau adds: “So far we have succeeded in supporting the renovation project with all fixing queries throughout the planning and implementation stage and will continue to do so until the end, be it through tension tests with 150kN or on-site technical support.”
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