Safety Evaluation for the Herrschaftsbuck Tunnel

In Germany, developers are required to draft appropriate safety documentation when planning the construction of tunnels with a length of 400 metres and beyond. Corresponding safety evaluations constitute a key component in the drafting of this safety documentation. Such safety evaluations are carried out by independent agencies tasked with determining whether the existing tunnel design specifications meet the established traffic-safety criteria.

EBP completed a safety evaluation in connection with the planning of the Herrschaftsbuck Tunnel, which is to be built on German Motorway A 98 between the Hochrhein motorway junction and the city of Rheinfelden. More than 25,000 vehicles are expected to pass through the 485-metre, two- and three-lane double-tube tunnel every day. Construction on the tunnel is set to begin in 2016.

Using the submitted design documentation as a basis, EBP carried out an evaluation of the planned tunnel’s safety, particularly in light of its basic structural features as well as planned structural and operational measures selected to ensure accident prevention and general safety. All of the main structural data was subjected to rigorous plausibility analyses.

Together with important assessments regarding the further planning for the tunnel, the evaluation confirms that the tunnel’s design meets the established safety criteria and corresponds to the latest engineering specifications. The current design for the tunnel qualifies as sufficient. The responsible authorities have thereby taken an important step closer to the realisation of a safe tunnel.