Revolutionary channel renovation in Düsseldorf: Traffic should not suffer!

Revolutionary channel renovation in Düsseldorf: Traffic should not suffer!

On April 9, 2025, the city of Düsseldorf informed about the comprehensive renovation of the collecting canal in Otto-Petersen-Straße and Heinrichstrasse. This measure is carried out by the Düsseldorf (SEBD) city renewal and represents an important renovation campaign in one of the city's main traffic axes.

The affected channel has a diameter of around 2.4 meters and extends over a length of around 1.7 kilometers. During a thorough inspection, cracks and flaking were found, which underlined the need to renovate. The construction phase begins at the intersection Heinrichstrasse/corner of Mörsenbroicher Weg and ends on Otto-Petersen-Straße/corner of Simrockstrasse. The sewage collector was produced in town concrete construction between 1905 and 1918 and urgently needed a renewal.

trenchless renovation as a modern solution

In order to minimize the stress on traffic during the renovation work, the trenchless renovation was chosen as a procedure. This modern process in sewage technology enables the maintenance and renewal of pipes to be carried out without making extensive earthworks necessary. During the trenchless renovation, various innovative methods are used, such as relining, in which existing pipes are lined with special materials, or the pipe-to-tube technology, in which new pipes are drawn into old lines.

The method of tube relining is used in this special renovation. The masonry of the old channel is canceled and replaced by polymer concrete elements. These elements weigh around 2.5 tons and are over two meters long. The polymer concrete elements are pulled in by the six necessary small construction pits (approx. 4.5 m x 4.0 m each) in both directions, which allows the work in a total length of around 170 meters. This unique procedure is optimized in Europe and significantly shortens the construction period.

technical details and innovative strength

The SEBD has developed a special entry car for the execution of the work to ensure precision that is required to insert the heavy concrete elements. This innovative approach to wastewater renovation offers numerous advantages: it reduces time and cost, minimizes traffic disruptions due to the avoidance of large construction sites and protects the environment by no interventions in the landscape or road surface. This process is also taken into account for adjacent ecosystems.

The renovation work is expected to begin in July 2024 and should be completed by July 2026. These efforts are part of an integrative approach to maintain and modernize urban infrastructure and take into account both economic and ecological aspects of modern wastewater technology. According to Kanalservice magazine , the trenchless renovation offers various approaches for specific requirements, which will take this measure to an important step for the city of Düsseldorf.

The city administration endeavors to offer citizens a complete and environmentally friendly wastewater infrastructure. The selected renovation technology ensures that the city will continue to be well equipped for the challenges in the field of wastewater disposal.