Portsmouth Dam

Portsmouth dam with upstream row of dolphins and construction activities for the Eurogate Duisburg at the Holzhafen

The Portsmouth Dam in Duisburg's inner harbor is a crossing structure that separates and dams the eastern harbor basin from the level-dependent western part in a watertight manner. It is named after the southern English twin city of Duisburg, Portsmouth .

The almost 100 meter long sheet pile dam separates the rest of the harbor basin to the east of the former wooden harbor, creating a 48,000 m² inland waterway with an even level. The two parts of the port are closed off with sheet pile walls, with a storage canal (7.5 meters cross-section) between them, which contains the supply lines for the new buildings on the northern side of the port. There is also a bottom outlet for the pent-up part in the direction of the Holzhafen.

The bottom of the closed lake was raised five meters high and given a basic seal. The water level there is maintained with the help of an ecologically graded water management system that collects rainwater in the canals or pumps up groundwater and feeds it into the basin. The level-dependent part of the port with the connection via Schwanentorbrücke to the Rhine can have a water level that is a maximum of 7.5 meters lower.

The dam connects the Philosophenweg in the south with the Schifferstraße in the north of the harbor basin and is located on the site of the former ferry connection. It is the only car connection across the rear inner harbor; further to the west, the humpback bridge, designed as a pedestrian bridge, crosses the basin. In addition to the two-lane carriageway, there are bike and walkways on both sides. The road is ten meters above the level of the Holzhafen. This side is provided with a dolphin chain to protect against ship impact .

The infrastructures required for Sir Norman Foster and Partners' master plan, such as roads and the dam, were financed from 1996 by funding from the state of North Rhine-Westphalia and the European Union, and the dam itself was completed in 1999. The construction costs amounted to 2.6 million euros. The structure was necessary in order to offer the newly planned or renovated buildings reliable protection against flooding and the very high groundwater level in the Ruhr estuary.

On April 22, 2008, a crane fell on the Portsmouth Dam and caught fire, and a gas cylinder exploded. A fire boat from the harbor fire brigade was able to put out the fire.

Individual evidence

Web links

51.440661 6.76805Coordinates: 51 ° 26 ′ 26.4 " N , 6 ° 46 ′ 5" E

[1] ttp://www.innenhafen-duisburg.de/de/blau/start_b_realisierung.html

[2] Article on the accident on the website of the Rheinische Post