North route enables east-west connection across the water
Berlin's northern route begins at the western harbour and crosses the western harbour canal and the Charlottenburg lock. The adjustment of the fairway will close a significant gap in the transport axis from the Rhine to Berlin. It is part of the "VDE 17 waterway project", which was launched in 1991 as part of a programme of 17 transport projects to accelerate the integration of the eastern and western German states.
Working in cramped conditions
The construction work for Lot 1 is taking place at the river crossing around the Spandauer Horn. In order to enable a direct entrance from the Spree into the Spandau lock and the Havel-Oder waterway, the headland is being excavated over an area of more than 3,000 square metres. At the same time, an approximately 200 metre long waiting area will be built on the north bank of the Spree and the old "Spreeschanze" berth will be converted into an ecologically valuable shallow water zone. The adjustment of the navigation channel requires partial renewal of the bank stabilisation with sheet pile walls. To secure the sheet pile walls, Stump-Franki is producing a total of 362 permanent strand anchors with 3 and 5 strands as well as lengths of up to 33 metres. All work must be carried out on the water side from a pontoon, which also serves as a storage area. High environmental protection requirements must be observed. For example, no foreign matter may enter the water under any circumstances. Waste such as drill cuttings and flushing water are temporarily stored in skips on the pontoon and disposed of properly.
