With a boom height of around 15 meters, the cable-supported excavator with diaphragm wall grab is a real eye-catcher for passers-by in Hanover. The impressive grab, dubbed “Hanover's largest excavator,” was already in use in July 2023 on the Südschnellweg megaproject. There, PORR's special civil engineering division constructed a diaphragm wall over 1,100 meters long and approximately one meter wide on the north side of the Südschnellweg, which served, among other things, as the foundation for the temporary bridge.

PORR Spezialtiefbau is now constructing an equivalent structure on the south side

PORR Spezialtiefbau has now begun work on construction docks 1 and 2 of a total of 10 west of Schützenallee. The second diaphragm wall is being constructed on the south side. Also 1,100 meters long, up to 30 meters deep and approximately one meter wide, it forms the counterpart to the first diaphragm wall. Once both construction pit walls have been completed, the soil between the walls can be removed and the civil engineering work for the 1,100-meter-long road tunnel with ramp structures can begin.

Site manager Bernd Westendorff commented on the diaphragm wall work: “The diaphragm wall is an excellent solution in special civil engineering because it is technically watertight and stable and is particularly suitable for deep construction pits – in other words, it has the ideal properties for the work on the Südschnellweg.” With a smile, he added: “Of course, we celebrated our second ‘first dig’ into the Döhren soil with a coffee and a little ‘Glück auf’ toast with the team.”