Analysis: Tunnel elements from Lolland to the Limfjord?

On Tuesday, the Danish Parliament first discussed the bill to establish a third Limfjord connection. The connection is part of the Infrastructure Plan 2035, and there is likely already a majority in favor of the proposal. The new connection will consist of approximately 20 kilometers of motorway between Svenstrup southwest of Aalborg and Vestbjerg north of Nørresundby. The new connection is expected to cost between seven and nine billion kroner in total.

The motorway is planned to cross the island of Egholm in the middle of the Limfjord. From Aalborg to Egholm, a two-kilometer immersed tunnel needs to be established. From Egholm to Nørresundby, a 600-meter low bridge over Nørredyb is to be constructed.

First customer for the element factory?
The solution involving a immersed tunnel has led to speculation about whether the Danish Road Directorate could become the first customer for the newly permanent element factory in Rødbyhavn.

Member of the Danish Parliament, Kasper Roug (Social Democrats), elected in Lolland-Falster, has already inquired with Transport Minister Thomas Danielsen (Venstre) if it could be built on Lolland, and the answer was that it technically could be.

– I always rejoice to hear about good examples of the use of the element factory, as it means activity and employment on Lolland-Falster. It sounds like the Limfjord connection can be built in Rødbyhavn, and I must admit, I am proud of that, says Kasper Roug to Lolland-Falster’s Folketidende.

Political opposition
However, there is not unalloyed political enthusiasm for the new project. The Radical member of the Danish Parliament’s transport committee recently expressed reservations about the project in Altinget. Although the party agreed to the deal three years ago, they are now considering withdrawing their support.

The independent Theresa Scavenius, elected in North Jutland, is staunchly against the project. In a video on the social media X, she calls the project a potentially “far larger and worse environmental and health disaster” than the Nordic Waste case from Randers.

Aalborg East or Lolland?
However, it is neither carved in stone – nor for that matter cast in concrete – that the elements for the new immersed tunnel should be cast in Rødbyhavn. In the original draft for the Limfjord connection, it is mentioned that the elements should be cast in a dry dock in Aalborg Harbour, as was the case with the first Limfjord tunnel. According to the bill, the contractor who gets the task has free choice regarding where the tunnel elements should be manufactured.

Faster, safer, and cheaper
Producing the tunnel elements in Rødbyhavn argues that it will most likely be cheaper to manufacture them at an existing facility than to establish production in Aalborg. At the element factory in Rødbyhavn, there is also already expertise and experience in manufacturing elements for submerged tunnels, so it would presumably also be faster and safer.

Long and risky sea journey
Against speaks the fact that there is a bit of a journey from Rødbyhavn to Aalborg with a floating several thousand tons heavy tunnel element, and there is some risk associated with the transport. Both from weather and wind and from the other relatively dense ship traffic up through the relatively narrow straits.

Fehmarn schedule is crucial
The strongest argument against casting a Limfjord tunnel in Rødbyhavn, however, is the Fehmarn project’s schedule. According to it, the casting work should be finished, and the element factory ready for handover by the end of 2027. It is estimated to take about three and a half years to build the Egholm tunnel. Therefore, it would not require significant delays to the Fehmarn project if the new Limfjord connection is to be ready in 2033 as planned. It is expected to take a total of about eight years to establish all 20 kilometers of motorway, and it is unlikely that the tunnel will be the last phase.

The bill for the third Limfjord connection is expected to be thirdly treated and likely finally adopted in this parliamentary session. And we are definitely going to hear more about the project in the coming years.

Facts: The Egholm Tunnel

• Length: Approximately 2 km under the Limfjord’s shipping lane.
• Structure: Main tunnel with submerged tunnel and Cut and Cover technique for transition tunnels and ramps.
• Functions: Two tunnel tubes for road traffic, a centrally located service gallery for operation and safety.
• Safety measures: Flood protection to kote +3.0 and technical buildings above each portal.
• Construction time: Estimated to about 3½ years for the submerged tunnel.
• Construction: Immersed tunnel elements expected to be cast (at Østhavnen in Aalborg or at the element factory on Lolland), floated, and submerged into place.

Source: Danish Road Directorate