The Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link will comprise a four-lane motorway and a double-track railway running 19 km section between the Danish and German coast. Construction is due to start in the first half of 2014 and the aim is for it to open in 2020.
The directors of Femern, the project’s promotor, have made the recommendation about the production site to the Danish Minister for Transport.
The production site is being recommended well in advance of production started to take account of new guidelines from the EU Commission concerning environmental approval of large construction projects. The new guidelines mean that environmental approval of the Fehmarnbelt Fixed Link and the necessary production facilities must be viewed together and form part of an overall approval process.
Femern analysed information from just over 20 locations expressing an interest in making sites available for a production facility. The directors’ choice is based on their finding that Rødbyhavn meets all the technical requirements and that the site is large enough for all production of tunnel elements to take place in one location. Rødbyhavn entails the fewest risks and provides the best opportunities for monitoring, the study found. For example, the transport risk is minimised as the location is on the proposed route, which will give Femern the best conditions for carrying out ongoing supervision and monitoring of production.
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