Good reasons for the construction
A culvert is an underground pipeline with pipes for liquids, gas or data connectivity. On the Neßsand island, there is a radar tower to monitor the shipping activity on the Elbe as well as an operations building from HPA and a building from the Ministry for Environmental and Energy Affairs (BUE), all of which are supplied with fresh water, electricity and data via a culvert. Due to the dredging work taking place as part of the fairway adjustment, the distance between the current culvert and the future floor of the Elbe will be smaller. This could lead to the danger of the current culvert being unearthed by the river’s flow or of being damaged by a ship anchor. Which is why HPA is installing a new, deeper-lying culvert from the Falkenstein shore to Neßsand. It is 980 metres long and will lie about 50 metres downstream from the old culvert.
First, the tunnels are being drilled with a horizontal drilling device, from the Falkenstein shore towards Neßsand, and then they will be widened to the required diameter. After this, the casing pipeline will be inserted and then the protecting pipes and the supply lines. The final step involves installing the lines onshore and connecting them to the respective systems. The old culvert will then be shut down.
The protection of nature is a first and foremost thought during the installation of the culvert. For instance, HPA has ensured that no Elbe sediment will be swirled up during the work and that the supporting liquid used does not come into contact with the Elbe’s water. The natural, pure material will be transported away from the water and recycled. Furthermore, the start of construction has been carefully chosen so as to be finished with the work by 15 January, when the special protection period for the white-tailed eagle begins.
![[Translate to English:] Neuer Dücker](/fileadmin/_processed_/8/5/csm_Unterseite_Neuer_Dueker_e0450ae22b.jpg "[Translate to English:] Neuer Dücker")
