DÜSSELDORF
Text by Mark Voorendt
The Rheinufertunnel was constructed from 1990 to 1993 to make the river bank of the Rhine better accessible to pedestrians and relieve the neighbouring areas from intensive traffic. The tunnel has a length of 1928 m and had to be constructed in two storeys near the old city centre. The construction pit reached a depth of 17 metres and the highest tunnel storey has been constructed with help of diaphragm walls. The lowest tunnel part has been constructed under high air pressure. Adjacent buildings have been underpinned using high-pressure injection to prevent their settlement. About 600 000m3 of soil has been excavated for the construction of the tunnel, and 235 000m3 concrete has been used, plus 22 000 t reinforcement steel. The capacity of the tunnel is 55 000 cars per day. |