New immersed tunnel for Göteborg 08 Jun 2016

Trelleborg engineered products is awarded the contract to supply gaskets and seals for construction of the new concrete immersed tube highway tunnel under the Göta Älv River in Göteborg (Gothenburg), Sweden.

The Marieholm Connection Project features a 500m immersed tunnel

The 500m-long Marieholmstunneln is a critical part of a larger transportation project (the Marieholms Connection Project) aimed at improving road and rail connections between the city and its industrial zones, and the busy port area.

Project scope includes construction of the highway tunnel that features two separate tubes of three lanes in each direction, plus a further service tube accessible from both ends, and a new rail swing-type bridge. The new links will supplement the existing Tingstads Tunnel, which becomes gridlocked at regular intervals; and the Marieholms rail swing bridge, which is currently the only rail link across the river.

The immersed tunnel is being constructed under a design-build contract awarded by the Swedish highway authority, Trafikverket, to Züblin Scandinavia AB and its JV partner Boskalis B.V., which is responsible for marine and dredging operations. The immersed tube sections will be joined at both ends to cut-and-cover sections. Trelleborg and Züblin/Boskalis have worked together on a number of projects in the past.

Carsten Bahl, Technical Manager for Züblin Scandinavia AB, said: “The outer concrete structure of the tunnel is 30m wide and 10m high, so we needed a complete sealing system which could cater to these requirements at a depth of 20m. We knew that Trelleborg’s product offered excellent characteristics and the company’s accumulated expert knowledge has provided valuable support in the project so far.”

Andre de Graaf, Sales Manager Infrastructure for the Trelleborg engineered products operation, said: “Our Gina and Omega seals will be used between the sectional elements of the immersed tunnel, and at waterstops at the construction joints, to prevent water ingress resulting from external pressure. The seals provide the highest level of performance while also transferring any hydrostatic loads and movement between the tunnel ends arising from soil settlement, concrete creep and temperature effects.”

The Marieholms Tunnel, once completed, aims to improve traffic congestion in Göteborg by enabling traffic using the E6, E45 and E20 routes to bypass the over-capacity Tingstads motorway tunnel.

Construction began in the first half of this year (2016) and is due for completion in October 2020.