SPIE outfits a new noise barrier tunnel near Pforzheim with state-of-the-art operating equipment

Pforzheim, 4 January 2023 – SPIE, the independent European leader in multi-technical services in the areas of energy and communications, is to outfit two 380-metre tunnel bores and a service building with operating equipment and traffic engineering systems. The tunnel is part of the noise reduction measures being implemented as part of the six-lane upgrade to the A8 motorway between the Pforzheim-Süd and Pforzheim-Nord junctions in Baden-Württemberg. The project began in July 2022 and is scheduled for completion in summer 2025.

A tunnel to cut noise for the benefit of residents

The contract was awarded to the DÜRR Group, a unit from the Building Technology & Automation operational division of SPIE Deutschland & Zentraleuropa, after a public tender process run by Autobahn GmbH Niederlassung Südwest. The affected section of the A8 runs between the Pforzheim-Süd and Pforzheim-Nord junctions and crosses the Enz Valley. To ease congestion and minimise noise, the motorway is now being widened to six lanes over roughly 4.8 kilometres and fitted with extensive noise abatement facilities.

Comprehensive service provision

The experts of the DÜRR Group will oversee all the operating equipment for the two tunnel bores along with the areas immediately before and after the tunnel, as well as the service building installation. The commissioned work includes the installation of LED tunnel lighting with an intelligent control system that will dynamically adjust the lighting according to daylight, reducing electricity consumption by approximately 12% compared to timer-based lighting. Security lighting and other security equipment such as video, public address, fire alarm and radio systems, as well as medium and low voltage power supply, will also be available. In addition, SPIE will be responsible for the fire-fighting water supply, automation and network systems, together with the installation of traffic signals and traffic lights on the gantries. As part of the project, SPIE will install approximately 930 energy-efficient LEDs and more than 50 electrical cabinets, and around 70 kilometres of cabling. Once the installation work is complete, the tunnel equipment will undergo commissioning, technical inspections, and testing.

Free-flowing traffic on the motorway during the works

SPIE's ten-strong team, led by project manager Karl-Heinz Flurer, will face the challenge of implementing the project while traffic continues to flow in two lanes in each direction for the duration of the work. For this reason, the workflow they will have to follow is complex and time sensitive. "Because of the limited space available, we can only work on the noise tunnel in one direction at a time," explains Flurer. The bore in the roadway towards Stuttgart will be the first to be constructed, after which SPIE will install the equipment. Once the installation is complete, traffic will first be routed in both directions through this borehole. Only then will the second borehole be constructed. "As soon as the construction of the two boreholes is complete, we will start installing our equipment in the second borehole - the one on the Karlsruhe side - while the first borehole is operational," explains Ingo Wehberg, authorised representative and head of sales for the DÜRR Group. "This method requires first-class teamwork and forces us to coordinate regularly and in detail with our customer and the other companies involved," says Andreas Christandl, Managing Director of the DÜRR Group.

“We're delighted to have won over our client with our profuse specialist expertise and our solution-focused working methods, and to have gained their confidence in our ability to implement this challenging project”, says Klaus Eismann, Executive Director of the DÜRR Group.