Structural work on the German portal of the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel has been completed, marking the end of major concrete construction on the land-based section at Puttgarden.
The project reached this milestone by concreting the final section of the tunnel roof in October 2026, about three years after work began on the portal.
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The finished structure now comprises 450m of cut-and-cover tunnel and a 150m light transition zone, forming the entrance to the future undersea link.
Once complete, the tunnel will connect Germany and Denmark beneath the Fehmarnbelt strait.
Before the first immersed tunnel element can be joined to the German portal, additional elements must be installed on the Danish side and the tunnel trench off the German coast must be prepared, according to Femern.
Femern is a 100% Danish state-owned company under Sund & Bælt, charged with planning, building and operating the Fehmarnbelt Tunnel.
On land, construction was divided into segments. For each section, crews began by pouring the base slab, then erected the side walls and finally the roof.
The completed portal structure also incorporates a technical building designed to house tunnel equipment, along with ramps that will facilitate road and rail traffic entering the tunnel.
Structural completion does not signal the end of activity at the site, as finishing works continue, including tasks around the openings in the light transition zone, Femern stated.
Installation of fire protection panels inside the tunnel tubes has also started.
The construction sequence required removing the temporary retaining dyke at the seaward edge of the site.
After the first 100m of tunnel were completed in summer 2024, a replacement dyke was built over that section, and bulkheads were installed to seal the tunnel tubes.
The space between the two dykes was subsequently flooded, allowing the team to dismantle the temporary structure in autumn 2024.
The seaward end of the cut-and-cover section is now positioned to receive the first immersed element on the German side.
Materials for the works have been supplied through the Puttgarden work harbour, which has operated since July 2023.
Concrete was produced at a batching plant on the site, while most other materials arrived by cargo vessel, avoiding lorry journeys across Fehmarn.
Sund & Bælt contract director Matthias Laubenstein said: “It is impressive to see what has been achieved here at the German construction site in just a few years. Many people from different trades have worked extremely hard to make this possible. I am very proud of what we have achieved together.”
