Saukopf tunnel
 Saukopf tunnel
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| use | Road traffic | |||
| traffic connection | Bundesstrasse 38 | |||
| length | 2715 m | |||
| vehicles per day | 20,000 | |||
| Number of tubes | 1 | |||
| Largest coverage | 180 m | |||
| business | ||||
| release | December 9, 1999 | |||
| location | ||||
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| Coordinates | ||||
| West portal | 49 ° 34 ′ 20 " N , 8 ° 39 ′ 55" E | |||
| East portal | 49 ° 34 ′ 22 " N , 8 ° 42 ′ 8" E | |||
Map with all coordinates: The Saukopftunnel crosses under the western ridge of the Odenwald north of Weinheim . Through it, the federal highway 38 connects the Upper Rhine Plain with the Birkenau valley (valley of the Weschnitz ). It is 2,715 m long, making it the longest single-tube, two-way road tunnel in Central Europe outside the Alps. On working days, an average of around 20,400 vehicles drive through the Saukopftunnel.
location
The tunnel begins in the west between Weinheim and Weinheim-Sulzbach in Baden-Württemberg , runs in an easterly direction under the 348 m high Saukopf and ends in the east between Birkenau and Nieder-Liebersbach in Hesse . The B 38 running through it has a connection to the B 3 and the Weinheim ( A 5 ) motorway junction on the western, Baden side , from where it continues as the A 659 towards Mannheim and where it is crossed by the A 6 . On the east, Hessian side it has a descent to the K 11, which connects Birkenau with Nieder-Liebersbach, and then continues via Mörlenbach in a north-westerly direction into the Odenwald.
The border between Baden-Württemberg and Hesse lies almost exactly in the middle of the Saukopftunnel, the section of the route in Baden-Württemberg is slightly larger (1.37 km compared to 1.35 km for Hesse).
history
Reasons to build
Before the tunnel was built, the B 38 ran through the town of Weinheim, the very narrow and winding valley of the Weschnitz, and then through Birkenau. Since then, a large part of the regional traffic has bypassed these traffic obstacles through the tunnel.
In particular, the opening of the everyday traffic jam in the through-town of Birkenau came to an end. The problem has now shifted to the rear Weschnitz Valley to Mörlenbach , whose citizens are now pushing for a traffic avoidance. It is debatable whether a bypass or a complete tunnel under Mörlenbach would be preferable.
Construction and operation
Due to legal disputes with nature conservationists, it took over 30 years to complete the construction. The tunnel was opened on December 9, 1999 by Prime Ministers Erwin Teufel (Baden-Württemberg) and Roland Koch (Hessen) at the west portal on the Baden side. There is an administrative agreement between the federal states, according to which Hessen is responsible for the construction and maintenance of the tunnel, while Baden-Württemberg guarantees its operation and maintenance.
Each quarter the tunnel is closed for one week (Mon-Fri) during the night (from 8 p.m. to 5 a.m.) for regular maintenance work (e.g. flushing the drainage). During this time, traffic will be rerouted via the old B 38.
The operating costs for the Saukopftunnel amount to around 1,000,000 euros per year.
In a tunnel test carried out by the ADAC in 2001, the Saukopftunnel was rated “sufficient”. In order to increase the safety in the tunnel, an escape tunnel was built parallel to the tunnel between 2009 and 2013 and investments were made in further safety technology, whereby the tunnel achieved the grade "very good" in another ADAC test in 2015.
A fire in the technical room on November 15, 2010 made it necessary to shut down the tunnel for several days. The safety of the road users was never endangered, as the technical room is located on a mountain slope outside the actual tunnel.
Retrofits
Blocking in 2008 - security upgrade
The Saukopftunnel was completely closed to traffic from July 1, 2008 to December 19, 2008 due to extensive safety retrofits. The cost of retrofitting amounted to around 11 million euros.
Closure in 2009 - preparation for the rescue tunnel
During the summer holidays in Baden-Württemberg and Hesse, the Saukopftunnel was completely closed because the reinforcement of the main tunnel unexpectedly had to be reinforced in order to be able to build the rescue tunnel. This lockdown began on July 13, 2009 and lasted until December 18, 2009.
Construction of the rescue tunnel 2009–2013
In October 2009 the construction of the rescue tunnel began. With the exception of short-term closures, traffic could continue to roll through the tunnel. Except in the area of the portals, the new tube was driven by mining. The ceremonial breakthrough took place on March 21, 2011. The rescue tunnel was put into operation at the beginning of 2013. The federal government bore the construction costs of around EUR 30 million.
Safety devices
- 3 control centers (west portal, tunnel center, east portal)
- 2 emergency walkways 1.0 m wide
- 5 double-sided emergency stop bays
- 2 supply and exhaust air centers at the portals
- 1 exhaust air center in the middle of the tunnel
- 26 emergency telephones
- 48 fire extinguishers
- 22 television cameras
- 7 speaker groups
- 21 fire alarm lines
- 19 hydrants
- 3 radio channels
- 10 traffic control programs
- 2 vehicle height controls
Some radio stations can also be received in the tunnel thanks to internal amplifiers. In emergencies, it can be used to send safety instructions to the drivers via the radio.
At the time of planning, it was still state of the art to build single-tube tunnels with traffic in both directions. When it opened in 1999, this concept was already obsolete and tunnel tubes separated according to driving directions had become established.
Traffic restrictions
The tunnel is blocked by traffic sign 261 StVO for vehicles with dangerous goods that are subject to mandatory labeling. An additional sign (letter) is therefore not required.
Others
The Saukopftunnel is also the subject of the crime novel "Death in the Saukopftunnel" from the series "Bergstraßen-Krimi" by Manfred H. Krämer .
Web links
Remarks
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Nicoline Pilz: Saukopftunnel is brought up to date. In: rnz.de. Rhein-Neckar-Zeitung, February 24, 2013, accessed on August 9, 2017 (newspaper article).
- ↑ Archive link ( Memento from June 17, 2016 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ dapd / dpa: cause clarified. Fire in the Saukopf tunnel. In: fr-online.de. Frankfurter Rundschau, November 16, 2010, accessed on April 11, 2013 (newspaper article).
- ↑
- ↑ Traffic through the Saukopftunnel is allowed to roll again. Retrieved July 2, 2009 .
