The New Elbe Tunnel (), often simply called Elbtunnel, is a subterranean Elbe River crossing in northern Germany located in Hamburg.

Description

The Elbtunnel has a length of . As a part of the Bundesautobahn 7 in Hamburg, the tunnel forms a connection between Schleswig-Holstein (and on towards Denmark) to the north and Lower Saxony to the south. It has 8 lanes in 4 bores. The newest, fourth bore is the only one to feature a hard shoulder, minimizing congestion due to broken down vehicles. Parts of the tunnel are 27 metres below the water line.

It had been drilled through the ground by the then world's largest tunnel boring machine (TBM), which had a front plate 14.65 m (48 ft 1 in) in diameter. The machine's name was Trude, a short form of the name Gertrud, and an acronym for Tief runter unter die Elbe (deep down under the Elbe). The European Space Agency had helped in engineering aspects of the tunnel project for the tunnel boring machine.

The centre bores carry reversible lanes which switch direction in anticipation of commuter flows, similar to those of Caldecott Tunnel in Oakland, California. For example, more lanes are available for the morning commute into the city center in the northward direction Flensburg, and more in the southbound direction of Hanover for traffic leaving the city in the evening.

thumb|upright=1.3|Cutting shield used for the Elbe Tunne, displayed in the [[Hamburg Museum of Work.]]

Vehicle height control

The tunnel operation office controls traffic with 7ä45 visual monitors. Traffic lights, highway barriers and variable message signs are in use to regulate 110,000 vehicles per day. thumb|Elbtunnel height control sign

See also

  • Old Elbe Tunnel also known as the "St. Pauli Elbtunnel"
  • Bundesautobahn 7

References

  • Ulrich Alexis Christiansen: Hamburgs dunkle Welten. Der geheimnisvolle Untergrund der Hansestadt. Ch.Links Verlag, Berlin 2008, (in German)