The small lock in Kiel-Holtenau has been closed since 2013
Instead of being renovated, the small lock in Kiel-Holtenau is being built from scratch. The federal government is providing 240 million euros for this
The two chambers of the small lock at the exit of the Kiel Canal to the Kiel Fjord, which have been closed since 2014, are in danger of collapsing due to deep cracks in the masonry. The federal government has therefore now decided in favour of a major solution and approved the plans for a new construction.
Construction work is due to start in autumn, with both chambers of the lock, which was opened in 1895, being filled in with sand first. Construction work on two new lock chambers in the same location can then begin in 2018.
Meanwhile, construction is also underway in Brunsbüttel: A fifth lock chamber is being built here to cope with the constantly growing volume of traffic on one of the world's busiest shipping routes.
