Harbour tunnel equipped by SPIE reduces noise pollution in Bremerhaven, Germany

Bremerhaven, 18 July 2024 - SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, has equipped the Cherbourger Strasse port tunnel in Bremerhaven with state-of-the-art operating and traffic technology. This key infrastructure project in the northern German port city has now been successfully completed.

Improved transport links to the overseas port

Bremerhaven is home to one of Europe's most important maritime harbours. It can be reached by land via the A 27 motorway, which runs to the east of the city. For a long time, several thousand lorries used Cherbourger Strasse to get to the port each day. This traffic now travels underground through the harbour tunnel, considerably improving the situation on the roads and for residential areas around what was previously the main thoroughfare.

The specialists with expertise in transport technology at SPIE's Building Technology & Automation operational division equipped the harbour tunnel with state-of-the-art operating and transport technology. The project, which took almost two years to complete, was led by subsidiary SPIE OSMO. The end result ensures energy-efficient operations, for example through the use of modern LED lighting, and a high level of safety when driving through the approximately 1.8-kilometre tunnel.

Availability and protection of the tunnel

Technicians installed 700 tunnel lights and 20 jet fans. Ninety cameras enable seamless monitoring of the tunnel's interior and aprons. A high level of safety is ensured by also including operating and safety technology in the tunnel such as fire detection equipment, a wide range of sensors and a system to measure air movement and quality. SPIE installed the technical components in two company buildings and set up a robust and powerful data network. "The technology therefore offers high availability and excellent protection for the tunnel,"says Thorsten Rottmann, the on-site manager for the project.

The programmers at SPIE have implemented key automation features in the system: from vehicle breakdowns and people on the carriageway to fires in the tunnel, the technology recognises incidents on a fully automatic basis and takes initial measures within seconds. These range from a temporary speed limit to warning announcements in the tunnel and on the radio to full closures using barriers. The lighting and tunnel ventilation are also automated. Digital measurement data and razor-sharp video images are also transmitted in real time to the traffic management centre in Bremen, a major German city nearby. Here, operators can assess the situation in the tunnel from a distance at any time and intervene if necessary. "With this pioneering technology, we are creating a standard that can save lives in an emergency. I am therefore very pleased that we, as tunnel and traffic experts, are making such a significant and important contribution to safety in the Bremerhaven port tunnel," says Klaus Eismann, Managing Director of the SPIE OSMO executing unit.

A challenging schedule

SPIE won the tender from Bremerhavener Gesellschaft für Investitionsförderung und Stadtentwicklung (BIS^[1]) in March 2022 and began work on site in August 2022. The timetable was a challenge for those involved, but the project was completed on schedule, and the tunnel opened in 2024. At peak times, up to 60 people from several SPIE business units were involved in the project. "Thanks to very good coordination and excellent teamwork, we were able to complete the project on time together with everyone involved. All parties collaborated in a very goal-orientated way,"says Christian Rolf, Project Manager at SPIE.

"I am delighted by this excellent and reliable collaboration between several SPIE units in the Building Technology & Automation operational division and our client. I am very proud of how our colleagues have worked together in the interests of our client,"summarises Jörn Ettenhofer, Head of the Building Technology & Automation operational division.