Running parallel to the Lippe River, the Wesel-Datteln canal connects the Lower Rhine with the Dortmund-Ems canal and is therefore an important lateral link in the west of Germany. Some 60 kilometers long and one of the busiest shipping canals in Germany, the Wesel-Datteln canal has six locks that enable boats to overcome a height difference of over 40 meters. In an engineering consortium with Sweco and GRBV Ingenieure, WTM Engineers was awarded the contract for designing new locks and pumping stations at Friedrichsfeld, Hünxe, and Dorsten respectively.
Given that more goods traffic is to be shifted to the waterways, the existing locks must be replaced and adapted to handle the additional traffic expected. These measures are intended to increase the canal’s capacity and optimize its use by large motor freighters and pushed convoys.
In addition to project and structural design tasks in hydraulic construction engineering and infrastructure engineering, WTM Engineers will assume the lead management as well as the overall project management and BIM coordination. Preliminary planning is scheduled to be completed by 2025. According to the timeline, construction work is expected to start in 2031 after all the approvals have been received and a building permit granted.
Extension of Wesel-Datteln canal to Marl: Lock subprojects. Replacement of locks, lock bridges, forebays, and pumping stations at three locations.
