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The Nordhavn Tunnel

The Nordhavn Tunnel

We apply all our extensive skills in civil works as we, together with BESIX, construct the Nordhavn Tunnel which will connect Østerbro and Nordhavn. The tunnel is being built for the Danish Road Directorate as an in-situ cast tunnel.

The result will radically change traffic conditions around Nordhavn and Østerbro. When the tunnel is completed, the Danish Road Directorate expects that more than 8,000 cars and trucks will use the tunnel daily. Thus, the Nordhavn Tunnel will move a large part of the heavy traffic away from Østerbro and reduce congestion.

The Nordhavn Tunnel, Copenhagen, MT Højgaard Danmark

All major civil works disciplines in play

In addition to project management, we also handle earthworks, utility works, foundation, concrete works, and marine works. Altogether, it is no small task on a 1,400-metre-long tunnel with a cross section of nine metres. Along the way, we must handle enormous quantities; for example, we have pumped no less than 337,136 tons of sand directly into the Svanemøllehavn.

On the construction site, we have site offices on both the Nordhavn and Østerbro sides, and the site itself is divided into three work areas with more than six kilometres of internal roads for our machines to operate from.

The Nordhavn Tunnel, Copenhagen, MT Højgaard Danmark
The Nordhavn Tunnel, Copenhagen, MT Højgaard Danmark

How we do it

Together with BESIX, we are constructing the tunnel as an in-situ cast tunnel. This means a tunnel cast directly on site. Simply put, it goes like this:

First, we dig a construction pit which is emptied of water. Then we dig into the seabed and cast the tunnel. Afterwards, we put the soil back and remove the construction pit, enabling the water to flow again.

It may sound simple, but constructing a tunnel like the Nordhavn Tunnel is anything but easy and requires all our skills in civil works craftsmanship, management, engineering, and occupational safety.

The result, however, will be worth the effort: the Nordhavn Tunnel will have two lanes in each direction, and the lanes will be separated by a central wall. The tunnel and the entrance and exit ramps will be adapted for modular trucks and buses up to 15 metres. Additionally, the tunnel must be able to withstand construction on top of it in the sections that are under ground.

As part of the project, we are also preparing for a further extension if the client wishes to build an eastern harbour ring road in the future.

The Nordhavn Tunnel, Copenhagen, MT Højgaard Danmark

International environment

The Nordhavn Tunnel is an international project. In Nordhavn, we share site offices with the client, the Danish Road Directorate, and our joint venture partner BESIX. Specialists from many nationalities contribute to the construction of the Nordhavn Tunnel, and therefore the official working language in the site offices is English.

For our own employees, it is an educational experience working closely with BESIX whose employees come with experience from similar construction projects elsewhere in the world.

See our projects
As part of the project, we are also working closely with HOFOR to construct a utility corridor. The foundation works in the corridor are carried out with pile foundations.
The Nordhavn Tunnel, Copenhagen, MT Højgaard Danmark