Pöyry awarded engineering services assignment for Rhine tunnel, Switzerland

 

PÖYRY PLC Press Release 27 July 2016 at 9 am (CEST)

 

 

Switzerland's Federal Roads Office (FEDRO) has awarded a basic engineering services assignment to an engineering consortium led by Pöyry for a new tunnel under the Rhine, aimed at reducing traffic congestion.

 

The new tunnel would aim to relieve the A2 motorway in Basel which suffers from significant congestion, with the Schwarzwaldtunnel - Hagnau - Augst section particularly badly affected. With increasing volumes of traffic and no relief in sight, the aim is to provide a new transport link between Birsfelden, a town to the east of Basel, and the northern section (Rhine tunnel) of the main A2 motorway to/from Germany and France.

 

The basic engineering services assignment will aim to determine the optimal lines of the new tunnel connections and the overall feasibility of the project. The assignment is expected to be completed in 2021.

 

Building tunnels in urban environments can be particularly challenging due to the limited amount of available space.

 

"The use of mild construction methods with the aim of affecting traffic and residents' quality of life as little as possible is at the same time of major importance. We are pleased to bring our experience in tunnel planning and realisation in the inner-city area to this project," declares Nicolas Hessler, Head of Pöyry Switzerland's Tunnel Construction Section and project manager.

 

Pöyry has been involved in projects totalling over 1,000 km of transportation tunnels in the last decade.

 

The value of the order is not disclosed. The order has been recognised within the Regional Operations Business Group order stock in Q2/2016.

 

 

Claudia Trochsler

Communications Manager

Pöyry Switzerland

+41 44 355 55 55

 

 

 

Pöyry is an international consulting and engineering company. We serve clients globally across the energy and industrial sectors and provide local services in our core markets. We deliver management consulting and engineering services, underpinned by strong project implementation capability and expertise. Our focus sectors are power generation, transmission & distribution, forest industry, chemicals & biorefining, mining & metals, transportation and water. Pöyry has an extensive local office network employing about 6,000 experts. Pöyry's net sales in 2015 were EUR 575 million and the company's shares are quoted on Nasdaq Helsinki (Pöyry PLC: POY1V).