Warnow Tunnel
Encyclopedia
The Warnow Tunnel is a road tunnel 790 m long which connects the east and west bank of the Warnow
river in the Hanseatic
city of Rostock
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
It is Germany's first toll road
in modern times and was opened on 12 September 2003 by Federal Transport Minister Dr. Manfred Stolpe
.
The tunnel was built using a technique known as immersed tube
Construction: the main part of the tunnel consists of six prefabricated concrete conduits which were formed and poured in a temporary drydock nearby, floated out into the river and lowered into a dredged channel in the river bottom. This is a technique apparently pioneered in the Detroit River in construction of the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel
in 1930, and replicated for sub-aqueous tunnels ever since.
The 50-year operating concession is held by Warnowquerung GmbH & Co. KG, which is 70% by the Australian investment company Macquarie Infrastructure Group
which operates many tolled roads worldwide.
Warnow
The Warnow is a river in the state of Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in Germany. It flows into the Baltic Sea near the town of Rostock, in its borough Warnemünde....
river in the Hanseatic
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
city of Rostock
Rostock
Rostock -Early history:In the 11th century Polabian Slavs founded a settlement at the Warnow river called Roztoc ; the name Rostock is derived from that designation. The Danish king Valdemar I set the town aflame in 1161.Afterwards the place was settled by German traders...
in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Germany.
It is Germany's first toll road
Toll road
A toll road is a privately or publicly built road for which a driver pays a toll for use. Structures for which tolls are charged include toll bridges and toll tunnels. Non-toll roads are financed using other sources of revenue, most typically fuel tax or general tax funds...
in modern times and was opened on 12 September 2003 by Federal Transport Minister Dr. Manfred Stolpe
Manfred Stolpe
Manfred Stolpe was Federal Minister of Transport, Building and Housing of the Federal Republic of Germany from 2002 until 2005. From 1990 until 2002 he was Premier of the State of Brandenburg.-Biography:...
.
The tunnel was built using a technique known as immersed tube
Immersed tube
An immersed tube is a kind of underwater tunnel composed of segments, constructed elsewhere and floated to the tunnel site to be sunk into place and then linked together. They are commonly used for road and rail crossings of rivers, estuaries and sea channels/harbours...
Construction: the main part of the tunnel consists of six prefabricated concrete conduits which were formed and poured in a temporary drydock nearby, floated out into the river and lowered into a dredged channel in the river bottom. This is a technique apparently pioneered in the Detroit River in construction of the Detroit–Windsor Tunnel
Detroit–Windsor Tunnel
The Detroit–Windsor Tunnel is an underwater highway tunnel connecting Detroit, Michigan in the United States, with Windsor, Ontario in Canada. It was completed in 1930....
in 1930, and replicated for sub-aqueous tunnels ever since.
The 50-year operating concession is held by Warnowquerung GmbH & Co. KG, which is 70% by the Australian investment company Macquarie Infrastructure Group
Macquarie Infrastructure Group
Intoll Group, formerly Macquarie Infrastructure Group currently owns and manages a 25.0% interest in the Westlink M7 to the west of Sydney in Australia and a 30% interest in the 108 km-long Highway 407/ETR in the Greater Toronto Area of Canada,...
which operates many tolled roads worldwide.