Motorway A44 - Tunnel Hirschhagen

Specialist Planning: Technical Equipment for Road Tunnels

The Hirschhagen Tunnel is a newly built twin-tube tunnel on the federal motorway A44 Kassel-Herleshausen with an entire length of 4,147 m / 4,204 m.

For the technical equipment of road tunnels and their operation, the RABT 2006 or its follow-up rules EABT-80/100 contains guidelines, principles, instructions, and criteria, which also apply to the equipment of the Hirschhagen Tunnel. Due to the length of the structure and its integration into the BAB A44 tunnel chain between Kassel and Herleshausen, the standards of operational and traffic safety in this project are particularly high.

ZPP was commissioned by the state of Hessen, Hessen Mobil (hereinafter Die Autobahn GmbH des Bundes) on the basis of the HOAI, §§ 53 - 56, service phase 8, with the object monitoring or with the construction monitoring for the service profile “technical equipment” as well as with the creation of the safety documentation and the General Hazard Prevention Plan (AGAP) according to the specifications of the RABT and the Federal Highway Authority. In addition, the scope of services includes monitoring the structural engineering measures for the creation of traffic sign gantries and an emergency basin within the tunnel structure as well as the provision of a safety and health protection coordinator (SiGeKo).

The Hirschhagen Tunnel will receive the complete operational and safety equipment according to RABT: emergency call system, video surveillance, tunnel radio, loudspeaker system, orientation lighting and escape route marking, guidance devices and elements for visual guidance, fire alarm systems, firefighting systems (extinguishing water system with DEA), lighting systems in the tunnel, in the aprons, and at the operations centres, emergency lighting, ventilation system of the tunnel consisting of longitudinal ventilation and central air suction, ventilation sensors, energy supply (medium voltage, low voltage, UPS supply), lightning protection and overvoltage protection systems, air conditioning systems in the operations centres, drinking and wastewater systems as well as sanitary equipment in the operations centres, control and automation technology with connection to higher-level control centres.

Operations buildings are located at both portals of the tunnel. There is a firewater basin at the east portal and a retention basin at the west portal. At the bottom of the tunnel there is an intermediate basin in an accessible cross passage, which is emptied via a pressure line to the retention basin. After a tunnel length of approx. 2,100 m, the ventilation of the tunnel takes place via a smoke extraction shaft with a depth of 80 m and a diameter of 7 m.