Weser, near Bremen, twin highway tunnel 2 x 1.6 km using 11.67 m-diameter Herrenknecht Mixshield S-152. Contractors Hochtief AG, Philipp Holzmann AG, Ludwig Freytag GmbH, Heinrich Hecker GmbH and Martin Oetken GmbH. November 1999.   11.7 m-diameter Herrenknecht Mixshield has completed 1.3 km with 300 m to go on south tube. Will be dismantled and taken back across Weser for relaunch for north tube after planned modification to cutterhead to improve bentonite flow through integral rock crusher. Ground conditions are sand, clay, gravel and boulders up to 1 m diameter. 140,000 t of Norwegian granite of 150 mm nominal sizing placed as carpet over 500 m-long x 75 m-wide section of riverbed as protection against blowout and tunnel elevation has been deepened by 3.5 m. The 30% of cutters visible above the lowered bentonite level have been changed twice by divers, but slower progress is presently more acceptable than further cutter changes at up to 4.5 bar. Segmental lining outside diameter 11.3 m and 50 cm thick with 1.5 m width. Weight of 6+1 ring is 65 t. Average advance 3 rings/day in clay and 10 rings/day in sand. Overall average 4.2 m/day with 16 m maximum. Visit www.herrenknecht.com October 2000. Hochtief reported successful breakthrough of its 11.7 m-diameter Herrenknecht slurry TBM on the south tube of the Weser crossing north of Bremen on Tuesday 14th November, 2000 after a difficult drive in which great precaution was taken to avoid blowout through the riverbed. The holing was "inch-perfect", thanks mainly to expert operation of the VMT guidance system. The TBM will now be dismantled and transported across the river for assembly and relaunch on the north tube. For further details visit www.hochtief.de or www.herrenknecht.com November 2000.North tube of Weser tunnel got underway on 26th February, 2001 following three months TBM recommissioning. The machine was officially relaunched by Niedersachsen´s tunnel godmother, Dr Birgit Grote. With seven-day working, this second tube should hole through by end-2001. Visit www.hochtief.de and www.herrenknecht.com 09/01.Negotiated procedure, deadline 16th March, 2004 for engineering services for section 4 Hafenrandstrasse-Strom (4.2 km) of motorway A281 including the 2 x 1.6 km Weser tunnel. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=028329-2004, OJ S 32, or contact GPV Bremer, Bremen, fax +49 4213303877. 11/04. Negotiated procedure, deadline 6th April, 2004 for design engineering for a 1.4 km immersed tube tunnel under the Weser river on section 4 Hafenrandstrasse-Strom of the A281 motorway. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=041419-2004, OJ S 48, or contact GPV Bremer Gessellschaft, Bremen, fax +49 4213303877. 12/04.Negotiated procedure, deadline 30th April, 2004 for engineering services for a 4.2 km section of motorway A281, including a 1.4 km tunnel crossing of the Weser river. Visit http://ted.publications.eu.int/udl?request=Seek-Deliver&language=en&docid=053220-2004, OJ S 62, or contact GPV Bremer Gesellschaft, Bremen, fax +49 4213303877. 15/04.