B2 Starnberg Tunnel: Cost explosion to 660 million euros!

B2 Starnberg Tunnel: Cost explosion to 660 million euros!

Things are boiling in Starnberg! The region's most expensive transport project, the B2 tunnel, is causing excitement and discussion. At the last city council meeting before the summer break, Marco Pulci, head of the Starnberg Tunnel project group, presented the latest cost estimates: The total costs of the tunnel will climb to at least 660 million euros. This amount has increased dramatically since 2018, when the construction was still estimated at 200 million euros. Mercury reports that the current estimates are available to the Federal Ministry of Transport, while the city of Starnberg has already invested a remarkable 35 million euros in preparatory buildings and land acquisition.

The discrepancy between old and new numbers raises questions. Why does the B2 tunnel cost so much more than originally planned? The answer is complex: factors such as rising construction prices, higher land acquisition costs, wage costs and inflation have contributed to this. In addition, the additional planning and additional costs as well as future construction price increases are not included in the current total. South Germans highlights that the city must now hope that the federal government will soon examine the cost-benefit ratio of the project, as concerns have already accumulated about overall funding until completion. City councilor Josef Pfister even expressed the fear that the total costs could add up to 1.2 billion euros.

Construction and safety concept

But what actually makes this tunnel so special? With a pure tunnel length of 2,180 meters and a total length of 3.1 kilometers, the B 2 tunnel is not only longer than the Wanktunnel and the Kramertunnel in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, it is also designed for up to 18,000 vehicles per day. Its course under built-up urban areas also entails complex geology and hydrogeology. A tunnel boring machine will be used here, while the other tunnels in the region use classic blasting and have parallel rescue tunnels. Mercury completes the illustration by pointing out that the safety concept of the B2 tunnel includes six emergency exits and five emergency exits, which were enlarged at the request of the city.

Precisely because the construction work is taking place under such complex conditions, an analysis explains that the tunnel is not only a necessity to relieve traffic in Starnberg, but could also be a real masterpiece of engineering. However, the engineers working on the project warn that the decision to take the route into areas with unfavorable subsoil could further increase costs. Starnberg Sea Tunnel points out that small things, such as stabilizing the subsoil due to geology, could further increase the overall costs.

Political discussion and delay

The discussion about the tunnel is lengthy and has many facets. Solutions to relieve traffic have been discussed in Starnberg for decades, and a tunnel seems to be the most promising way. But completion, which was originally planned for 2026, is now in jeopardy. South Germans reports on a city council meeting that lasted 2.5 hours given the delayed plans and constantly rising costs. A motion to overturn the 2017 positive policy decision was rejected, showing that support for the project remains strong despite opposition.

Starnberg is facing a challenge that includes not only financial but also political aspects. Now it remains to be seen what decisions will be made in Berlin and how the planning will continue. Everyone involved would like to have clarity about the future of the B2 tunnel by the end of the year.