After the Rothenstein tunnel was cut through at the beginning of the year, the interior work and thus the construction of the permanent reinforced concrete tube is currently underway. As part of this, the southern portal block of the 385 m long tunnel was concreted on June 10, 2021. This also marks the end of the semi-open construction method, which is necessary due to the abrasive cut of the rock face and gives the project its unique characteristics.
The four vault blocks of the semi-open construction method, squeezed between the railroad line and the rock formation, represent the most challenging section of the ongoing reinforced concrete work. The blocks each contain between 40 and 50 tons of reinforcement and 230 to 280 m³ of concrete, depending on the degree of the cut.
Following the concreting of the portal block on 10 June 2021, during which 256 m³ of concrete was placed in around 14 hours, the concreting of the two intermediate blocks of the pilgrim step method is still pending. ALFRED KUNZ’s share of the work will be completed at the beginning of August and the structure will be handed over to the road construction team.
The newly built bypass for Rothenstein is scheduled to go into operation in 2022.
