14 OCTOBER 2026 WorldWide Drilling Resource® Shaking it Up with Drills Adapted from Information by terra infrastructure GmbH Denmark's most significant infrastructure project is currently the Nordhavn Tunnel in Copenhagen. The Danish Road Directorate (Vejdirektoratet) are in charge of the project with the execution of the project being carried out by a joint venture between MT Højgaard Danmark and BESIX, supported by NIRAS, Jacobs, and Bravida Danmark in planning and consulting. They aim to provide lasting relief for urban traffic in northern Copenhagen and significantly improve connections to the expanding Nordhavn district. Several specialist civil engineering companies were commissioned to anchor the sheet piles driven into the ground to secure the excavation pit, with the application of various pieces of equipment and technical methods. Grundbau Nord GmbH used the VibroDrill VD 150 from terra infrastructure, among other equipment. The vibratory drilling rig was able to demonstrate its strengths in terms of performance, precision, and quality. State-of-the-art technology was used to anchor the sheet piles driven into the ground to secure the excavation pits. A total of three to four anchor layers were installed to secure the sheet piles for each of the pits, which had a length of approximately 984 feet with a depth of 39 feet. The first anchor layers were drilled at depths of between 82 and 115 feet. Pipe sockets were welded to the sheet piles. Drilling was carried out using the duplex method with a downward drilling angle of between 25 and 30 degrees. The drill rods and pipes were used in two-meter sections and placed on the drilling rig with the aid of an excavator. Once the final depth of around 88 feet had been reached, the cement was driven via the inner rods. The inner rods were then removed and the strand anchors inserted into the outer pipes to anchor the sheet piles. Although the tunnel's length is just under a mile, it is a key project designed to relieve traffic congestion in the Østerbro district. Approximately 2296 feet of the structure runs beneath Svanemøllehavn Bay, with the remainder mainly constructed using the proven cut-and-cover method which is a technically demanding method of tunnel construction in urban environments. The project aims to manage traffic flow more efficiently, divert heavy commercial traffic away from residential areas, and at the same time, lay the foundations for a possible eastern ring road around Copenhagen. The Nordhavn Tunnel is an important component of Copenhagen's long-term transport strategy. The new roadway will connect Østerbro and Nordhavn more efficiently, improve access to new development areas, and enhance mobility north of the city. The focus on climate-friendly construction with optimized concrete and steel types, as well as extensive recycling measures, is expected to reduce the carbon footprint by 30% compared to conventional construction methods.
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