Traffic - Fire damage in Hamburg's Elbe Tunnel repaired - long traffic jams
After the repair of fire damages, the Hamburger Elbtunnel is again drivable in both directions on three lanes. A third lane in the southern direction was released on Friday afternoon, according to the traffic control center of the police. With four tubes, the tunnel is actually eight-lane drivable. However, one lane per direction has not been used for years. This is to avoid traffic jams in the tubes, as there are only three free lanes in the construction sites before and behind the tunnel.
Train engine on fire
On Thursday morning, a truck caught fire in the fourth, west-lying tube of the tunnel. The driver was able to escape, according to the fire department, no one was injured. The burning train engine could be extinguished within half an hour. The cargo of the semi-trailer - a container with PE film - remained undamaged.
Damage to tunnel technology
The damages in the fourth tube were significant, according to Autobahn GmbH Nord. A spokeswoman explained that the road surface had to be completely renewed on approximately 30 square meters. Due to the enormous heat development - a truck fire can reach up to 1000 degrees - massive damages to the traffic and operational technology occurred. Parts of the lighting and signaling technology had to be exchanged. For further repairs, the tube is to be closed several times in the coming weeks at night.
Long traffic jams
On Friday afternoon, traffic came to a standstill for about ten kilometers before the tunnel in the southern direction and for eight kilometers in the northern direction. The reason was mainly the high traffic volume, said a spokesperson for the traffic control center. Traffic jams also occurred on the Ostumfahrung Hamburg, that is the A1 Bremen-Lübeck. Due to the beginning of the holidays in North Rhine-Westphalia, the ADAC expects a travel wave to the holiday resorts at the North and Baltic Seas this weekend.
- The repairs following the fire in the fourth tube of the Elbe tunnel required the replacement of parts of the lighting and signaling technology, as mentioned by the police during the traffic disruptions.
- Despite the repair works on the Elbe tunnel, there was a significant traffic congestion on Friday afternoons, with delays stretching for about 10 kilometers in the southern direction, likely causing concern for the local police.
- To ensure the safety of commuters and maintain traffic flow, the police may have temporarily diverted traffic away from the Elbe tunnel during the repair of the fire damage, affecting the smooth transit through Hamburg and potentially using alternative routes like the Ostumfahrung Hamburg.
