"We got inspired seeing how outer protection could be constructed"
In Esbjerg, they visited two different areas together with FAIR colleagues from Denmark. One area was Esbjerg beach, where a new marina and a future urban area with offices and restaurants with an outer protection had a design similar to what is discussed in the city of Helsingborg.
- In addition to the participants in FAIR, we met the construction project manager who had valuable practical experience from the construction of ramparts and protective gates, says Anders Söderberg, construction engineer at Helsingborgs Stad.
The Swedish crew also received information about the planning process and the environmental impact assessment. The other area they visited was Ribe, and the planning of a new neighborhood inside the old dike. The planning of the level of the buildings to cope with future flooding in a valuable cultural environment was interesting and similar to issues that Helsingborg has at some places in the city.
- We got inspired seeing how outer protection could be constructed and the price range. We also discussed similarities and differences in our political management, and how politics play a very important role.
To get further inspiration the swedes also made a visit to Gothenburg to meet up with their counterparts to see how they work with flood protection. Gothenburg has the same problems regarding rising sea level and infrastructure as Helsingborg, but on a larger scale. Construction of a new railway tunnel under the central city is ongoing and a new car tunnel is being built under the Göta River.
There is also an existing railway tunnel that has been flooded twice in the past decade. During these events, part of the technology in the tunnels has been knocked out. The first time, it took a long time for the tunnel to be navigable again resulting in the city having the most critical parts in stock to be able to easily manage the issues. In the long term, Gothenburg is planning for a largescale external barrier with pumps for the Göta River - but has not yet invested in protection measures for the central city more than that some development areas have been placed at a higher level.
- In addition to technical lessons, officials from the City of Gothenburg pressed the need for networks to disseminate knowledge and contribute to increased awareness of the flood issues of both politicians and officials. In Gothenburg, they have set a time limit for various measures, which we in Helsingborg should also start to consider, says Anders Söderberg.
