Tunnel beneath Marselis Boulevard
The tunnel beneath Marselis Boulevard has been on the drawing board for over 10 years, and it is still uncertain whether it will ever be built.
iThe tunnel is intended to provide a direct link between the harbour and the motorway, and is also intended to improve traffic flow and reduce air pollution in the area.
The tunnel came to the fore in earnest in 1997 when the Master Plan for the Port of Aarhus was adopted, which effectively relocated the entire port to the southern part of the city, whilst closing the internal port road. This means that all traffic must enter and exit via the southern access road, rather than being distributed between Marselis Boulevard and Nørreport/Randersvej.
However, the tunnel has become significantly more expensive during the planning phase, partly due to general cost increases and partly due to changes in safety requirements following the Mont Blanc tunnel fire.
The latest estimate stands at 1.4 billion kroner, whilst more pessimistic voices are predicting costs of up to 2 billion kroner.
The council has already secured grants from both central government and the port authority, but over 1 billion Danish kroner still needs to be found in the council’s coffers, with construction projects queuing up to get the pile-driving started. It is expected that the shortfall will be met through some of the municipality’s many reversion clauses. These clauses mean that a number of attractive plots in the city centre revert to municipal ownership after 100 years, at the original purchase price. Several owners are keen to have these clauses removed, and in doing so, the council will receive the market price for the plot, minus the original purchase price. Given the rise in property values over recent decades, this is a rather lucrative business.
The project has not progressed quite as quickly as the sheet pile walls have been driven down.
Originally, the tunnel was supposed to be in place before the last container left Nordhavnen in 2012. In the meantime, the clearance of Nordhavnen has been brought forward to 2008, and the tunnel does not look set to be completed until 2015 at the earliest.
Part of the reason lies in the local government reform, which contributed to delaying the EIA process.
The EIA report was finally considered at the City Council meeting on 23 May 2007, and with the exception of the Red-Green Alliance, there were positive reactions from across the chamber.
The draft local plan is due to go out for public consultation, but first the council’s technical committee must consider a number of issues.
These include, for example, whether the route of Åhavevej should be moved further north, and what should happen to the planned arrival centre.