The construction of the new Rhine culvert is truly a “project of the century,” ensuring secure and sustainable wastewater management for Cologne’s growing population. In May of this year, extensive tunneling operations began with pipe jacking beneath the Rhine river, connecting the districts of Cologne-Stammheim and Cologne-Niehl. These new, significantly larger culvert pipes will allow a substantially increased flow capacity, meeting the rising demands of a modern metropolitan area. In the future, up to 6,000 liters of wastewater per second will be safely conveyed to the central sewage treatment plant in Cologne-Stammheim. The excavation of construction pits and pipe jacking operations are expected to conclude by autumn 2026, with the entire culvert system scheduled for completion by StEB Cologne in 2028.
The logistical challenge of transporting a total of 234 jacking pipes, each with impressive dimensions (DN3200 – outer diameter of 4.00 meters, length of 4.16 meters, and individual weights of approximately 47 tons), is being managed by our logistics team in cooperation with our division iCargoSolutions and our partner Felbermayr Deutschland, on behalf of our customer Berding Beton GmbH from Dormagen. The pipes are delivered overnight directly into the pipe storage area at the construction site in Cologne, and installation occurs simultaneously during the ongoing delivery phase.
Infobox: Pipe Jacking – Modern Tunnel Construction Explained
Unlike the previous Rhine culvert, built 95 years ago above ground and subsequently submerged onto the riverbed, the current project employs advanced pipe-jacking technology. The process begins at a starting shaft near the major sewage treatment plant in Cologne-Stammheim. From here, a tunneling machine equipped with a four-meter diameter drill head excavates a tunnel approximately 15 to 25 meters below the riverbed toward the receiving shaft located in Cologne-Niehl. During excavation, culvert pipes are incrementally pushed into place directly behind the tunneling machine. Once the receiving shaft is reached, the tunneling machine is retrieved. Altogether, two parallel pipelines spaced five meters apart are being constructed. The receiving shaft is situated in Cologne-Niehl at the site of the existing culvert head. This location currently collects all wastewater flows from the left bank of the Rhine, which, in the future, will be channeled through the new Rhine culvert to the Stammheim wastewater treatment facility.
Source: steb-koeln.de/rheindueker