South German road tunnel project to restart

Construction work on the Kramertunnel in South Germany is to restart. The tunnel is needed to help reduce traffic delays in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the southern German state of Bavaria and with lies next to the border with Austria. The twin tube tunnel stretches will both be around 2.8km long and the project will also include building six bridges as part of the new bypass around the town. The new bypass, with its tunnel and bridges, is required as traffic jams occur regularly in the town on th
July 26, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Construction work on the Kramertunnel in South Germany is to restart. The tunnel is needed to help reduce traffic delays in the town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen in the southern German state of Bavaria and with lies next to the border with Austria. The twin tube tunnel stretches will both be around 2.8km long and the project will also include building six bridges as part of the new bypass around the town. The new bypass, with its tunnel and bridges, is required as traffic jams occur regularly in the town on the existing road. Heavy trucks and holiday traffic crossing the border with Austria can cause congestion.


The project is expected to cost €198 million, with €40 million already having been spent on works carried out so far. Only 350m of the emergency tunnel still needs to be completed. Work commenced in 2010 but was halted in 2013 due to the presence of large quantities of water  in the strata. A new design is being used to cope with the presence of water and the Kramertunnel should be ready for traffic by 2024.

The tunnel sections are being driven using conventional drilling and blasting methods for the hard rock sections comprising around 80% of the length, and with excavators for the looser materials in the remaining 20%. Conventional rock support methods are being used with shotcreting and rock bolting and bolted pre-cast liners. Additional rock support is being used where needed also, while the design now includes extra waterproofing and suitable drainage with collection basins to handle the groundwater and meet environmental requirements. Connecting tunnel sections are located at 500m intervals to meet safety requirements.

Road Structures

Related Content

  • Bridge of international accord from Russia-China
    May 29, 2018
    A new bridge project joining China and Russia is a sign of international accord between the two nations – Mike Woof writes A new bridge spanning what China calls the Heilongjiang River and which is known as the Amur River in Russia, is a clear sign of an important international accord between the two countries. Discussions over the bridge project were first started between China and Russia in the 1980s, with both nations seeing many changes in leadership since that time. But while the political discussion
    Read More
  • Sandvik drilling rigs boost production
    July 9, 2012
    The drill and blast contractor Technical Drilling and Blasting in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) is standardising on Sandvik rock tools for its fleet of drill rigs. The firm operates across Fujeirah, providing quality gabbro aggregates for construction projects in Dubai and Abu Dhabi. Recognised as one of the worlds hardest rocks, gabbro features a typical density in excess of 3tonnes/m, a crushing factor of 10 and a 61% silica content and demand remains strong for this quality construction material. Every
    Read More
  • Colombia’s troubled tunnel project completion due
    April 26, 2017
    The completion of work on Colombia’s troubled tunnel project is now finally in sight. A new contractor will be selected by Colombia's National Road Institute (Invias) to complete the last section of work required on the La Linea Tunnel. The winner of the tender process will be announced on 13th June 2017. An additional US$50 million is being budgeted by the Colombian authorities to complete the work. It is expected that in all, finishing the project will cost $86.6 million. Work still to be carried out incl
    Read More
  • North Germany bypass project faces delay
    November 9, 2017
    Construction delays are holding up the opening of a new bypass in northern Germany that will connect the towns of Löhne and Bad Oeynhausen. Construction work on the link commenced in 2008 and has so far cost some €170 million. In all the project is expected to cost €208 million to complete. Although the vast majority of the work has been carried out on the new bypass some finishing works remain to be completed.
    Read More

Highlighted Content