Technical map of Upper Palatinate showing Regensburg for explosive ordnance assessment and surveying by FONTANA-EOD

Explosive ordnance surveying in Regensburg

A bridge or transport facility in Regensburg may require ground works outside the eventual structure, for example for access routes, temporary structures or additional foundations. Project owners, consulting engineers and site managers need a clear investigation scope for these too. Send FONTANA-EOD the location plan with ground disturbance depths and construction phases so the explosive ordnance task can be matched to these works.

Construction areas

Show access routes, temporary structures and additional foundations too.

Construction phases

Record when each area is accessible.

Handover

Report results and outstanding areas to the site management team.

Assess the construction project

How are temporary construction areas included in explosive ordnance assessment?

Explosive ordnance assessment before construction projects in Regensburg also considers temporarily needed areas with their own ground disturbance. Identify access routes, temporary structures and additional foundations by location, depth and phase of use. The specialist assessment compares these works with historical findings and existing investigation reports. The next step follows the areas and depths still unresolved and the actual investigation conditions.

Project site

Connect the site with the specific construction task

Illustrated map of Bavaria with a blue-and-white diamond shield and crown, beside a tablet, white safety helmet and notebook.

Use Regensburg's planning documents for your own task

The Frankenbrücke plan approval draft describes temporarily occupied property areas and the further investigation needed at that time. Other construction projects need their own areas and results. The official city map helps with spatial orientation; describe investigation, construction phases and results handover for the specific project as well. The official register of municipalities lists Regensburg as an independent city in the Upper Palatinate in Bavaria. Consider the city area and rural district of Regensburg separately when identifying responsibility. For other project locations, the regional overview provides the relevant regional context.

In the enquiry, you can identify project locations in the old town or city centre, Stadtamhof, Westenviertel, Kasernenviertel, Kumpfmühl-Ziegetsdorf-Neuprüll, Weichs or Schwabelweis with the specific address and cadastral plots. For industrial and commercial sites, mark the ground disturbance areas concerned. For projects in the district of Regensburg, Neutraubling, Wörth an der Donau, Bad Abbach or other places in the Eastern Bavarian Danube area, identify the actual municipality and bodies responsible there. Location information helps prepare the specialist enquiry; assess the explosive ordnance question using findings for the respective area.

Local context

Wartime events and present-day bridge planning in Regensburg

Assess the planning status of Frankenbrücke

The Reconstruction Atlas of the House of Bavarian History describes the air raid on Regensburg of 17 August 1943, with the Messerschmitt works in Prüfening as a major target. For October 1944, it identifies a shift in targets towards Reichsbahn facilities and the oil harbour. Bridges were also demolished in April 1945, including what is now Nibelungenbrücke and the Eiserner Steg; Steinerne Brücke was affected too. The city's Frankenbrücke report describes demolition of the bridge in 1945 and its subsequent reconstruction. For present-day works, relate documented events at each location to aerial photographs, building files and later changes. Use these to develop a current assessment of suspicion for the specific proposed ground volume.

The city's plan approval draft for Frankenbrücke and its connecting roads, dated 24 April 2025, also identifies areas outside the completed structure: alongside areas needed permanently, the report lists additional property areas needed temporarily. Following a preliminary investigation, its section on absence of explosive ordnance describes further investigation needs before construction. These details describe the further investigation tasks at that project's planning stage. Clarify the current status for each work area using the results documents.

Add your own construction design

For your project, show the proposed ground disturbance areas on your own plan. The City of Regensburg's official city map provides digital extracts as a spatial basis. Add the actual construction design, proposed depths and temporary ground works. Whether these areas have already been investigated for explosive ordnance, and which results are available, must be checked against the associated specialist documents.

In the Frankenbrücke draft from April 2025, temporary construction stages also form part of the area requirement. It describes use of existing areas for site establishment and temporary working areas on the banks of the Regen. To manage traffic, the draft proposes a new bridge parallel to the existing structure. These details show which areas are needed during construction alongside the eventual structure. For your own project, record on the location plan where preparatory and temporary works actually disturb the ground and which investigation results are available for them.

Working together

Distinguish the tasks of client, designers and specialist contractor

Client and operator

The client describes the project and provides the available project records. The operator adds requirements for use, access and timing. A coordinating contact brings the parties together; individual tasks remain assigned to the named parties. Before commissioning, it is clearly recorded what information is missing, who will obtain it and what decision the result is intended to prepare.

Planning and construction management

The specialist designers describe areas, depths, construction methods and changes. Site management coordinates the planned sequence with the construction contractors and agreed specialist works. Results are assigned to the respective intervention. A technical plan change is communicated early enough for its effect on the survey task to be assessed before construction. Organisational construction stage boundaries remain distinguishable from technical survey boundaries.

Specialist company and competent bodies

The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation work. Requirements and decisions of public authorities are addressed with the responsible bodies. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the work carried out, including its documented area, depth and scope. Decisions reserved for public authorities are made by those authorities.

Under the Bavarian notice, project owners and contractors arrange the necessary clarification of explosive ordnance suspicion for their works. The private specialist contractor carries out the agreed research, investigation and documentation. Public safety authorities, police and the state-commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service have their own hazard response tasks. Coordinate public authority requirements with the responsible bodies. They are involved when a find occurs. For the construction programme, identify responsible contacts, necessary prerequisites and results handovers for each section.

Investigation task

Which specialist task comes next?

Match the method to the specific work area

Depth, the question and local measurement conditions matter when selecting a method. Consider utilities, existing structures and metal installations. A method suitable for an easily accessible area may have different limits in a neighbouring confined space. Specialist planning describes the conclusions needed and intended for the proposed ground disturbance.

Compare methods for the specific work area

Clarify additions before a changed construction phase

If a temporary structure is moved or an additional foundation becomes necessary, compare the change with existing results. Agree the further steps needed for areas not sufficiently covered. A new programme does not replace this technical clarification. Results that already fit remain usable.

Compare investigation methods
Project types

Consider additional ground disturbance with the main structure

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Relate preliminary investigation to every work area

The historical assessment needs a clear relationship to the proposed areas. Include working areas outside the eventual facility. If these change during design, compare their investigation status again. Keep existing findings available with their associated maps and spatial coverage.

If you want an area of suspected explosive ordnance assessed in Regensburg, include the proposed ancillary areas in the documents too. These may include access routes, shoring, site establishment or additional utility routes where they require their own ground works. For projects near riverbanks, describe the structure, access and preparatory ground disturbance with their technical requirements. A historical assessment examines the relevant image dates and files. If reliable information is missing, prepare the corresponding research as a separate task. Consider findings for a section already investigated within its documented area and depth.

Arrange specialist assessment of historical evidence
Two people with a tablet beside a marked construction area; plans lie in the foreground.

Consider construction stages in specialist planning

An area may be temporarily accessible and later occupied by traffic, materials or structures. Identify such changes in the enquiry. Coordinate the investigation objective needed with these conditions. Planning records which prerequisites must be met for each site visit.

The sequence of construction stages affects investigation access. An area later built over may be accessible for measurements beforehand. Conversely, traffic or existing structures may initially limit investigation. State known access windows and preparatory services required. Specialist planning checks which method can provide the conclusions needed under these conditions. Compare a traffic management change with the affected working areas. For each next ground disturbance, keep clear which findings are available and which specialist task remains. For building construction or neighbourhood development with underground parking, describe the excavation, foundations and connections. For redevelopment of former production, storage or logistics areas, provide available records of the site's development. Municipal road, sewer and utility works also receive their specific ground disturbance areas.

Compare specialist services
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Hand over the report by section

For each section investigated, the location and scope of the service performed should be clear. The site management team also needs information on remaining limitations. A shared project name is insufficient. Compare later works with the results according to their own areas and depths.

For handover, keep results, plan version and section identifier together. Information on foundations, utilities or borehole points must be assignable to the current construction design. If later ground disturbance lies outside the investigated volume, agree the additional work needed before it begins. A relocated access route or temporary structure with deeper foundations may also raise a new question. The report remains available for its original scope. Give additions their own spatial allocation so the site management team can use the different results in the subsequent programme.

Document findings and their limitations
Preparation

Prepare the scope and commission together

Establish what needs to be known before commissioning the work

First establish which decision the commission needs to support. Is the task an initial assessment of existing documents, an investigation of a specific area or examination of an anomaly that has already been assessed? These tasks require different evidence. A general wish for safety does not define an investigation that can be carried out. The enquiry therefore specifies the groundworks, location, depth and available findings. Suitable specialist work and the required reporting are then agreed on that basis.

Define the specialist task

Coordinate preparatory work with the investigation

Required access and survey conditions are clarified before the site visit. This may include keeping areas clear, obtaining service information and coordinating with other trades. The method and site determine which preparations are actually needed. Changes to the surface or additional groundworks are not undertaken unilaterally simply to prepare for a survey. Their sequence is agreed with the specialist designers and responsible parties.

Clarify preparatory work in the programme

Agree a clear scope and schedule

A realistic programme distinguishes technically resolved work from prerequisites that are still outstanding. If only part of a site will be accessible, the commission must take this into account. Handover and assessment of the results also need time in the construction programme. The schedule and effort are agreed once the scope, access and prerequisites are clear. This coordination brings together the specified scope, access, documents, site conditions and the date by which a decision is needed.

Discuss the scope and schedule
Tasks at the site

Which works belong in the investigation scope?

01

Foundations, shoring and connections

Describe the proposed foundations, shoring elements and connections with their locations and depths. Include further boreholes or installations outside the eventual structure in the ground works plan where proposed. This makes clear where and how deep the ground will actually be disturbed.

For civil engineering, piled foundations and shoring, state ground disturbance depths with their elevation references. Include existing utilities and structures in method selection. Ground composition, moisture and metal interference may affect interpretation. Relate a deep survey or borehole clearance to the specific question and point location. The proposed layout alone does not describe an investigation result. Document methods, interpretation, assessment of findings and limits clearly. Compare the next ground works with the scope actually achieved.

02

Construction access roads and temporary structures

Identify additional areas where, for example, ground will be excavated, a construction access road built or a temporary structure founded. Even where use is brief, consider these ground works in the investigation. Location, depth and type of ground disturbance determine the findings needed.

Preparation for a construction access road may include excavation, material replacement, drainage or foundations. Describe the actual proposed activities individually. Even where an area will later be reinstated, the ground disturbance during its use remains decisive. A brief construction stage may require the same location and depth information for investigation as a permanent structure. The site management team provides the areas and coordinates necessary preparatory services. Identify options not yet settled as such and compare them technically before construction.

03

Utilities, access and traffic phases

Compile existing utilities, structures and known access restrictions. If traffic is managed in stages, show when each area is available for investigation. Identify areas not yet investigated. Even with a tight programme, investigation results cannot be assumed for these areas.

04

Relocated access routes and additional foundations

If an access route moves, a foundation is added or shoring changes, compare the change with the existing investigation scope. Existing results are usable only within their documented limits. Clarify the investigation need for new areas or depths before the relevant works begin.

Project documents

Documents that establish the next step

Record preparatory services with their own ground disturbance

Building an access route or installing a temporary foundation may already involve ground works. Describe these tasks before they begin. The technical comparison must therefore consider more than the eventual main excavation. Early activities also receive clear spatial references. The evidence trail relates initial data, a location plan with cadastral plots, the construction area or route and historical documents to measurement data and survey results. Assessment of findings explains the status achieved. For clearance work actually performed, the clearance record adds the scope addressed. The conclusion identifies further steps for unresolved areas.

For commissioning, relate the information sought to the area, depth and available documents. The tender identifies access, known interference, preparatory services and results documents. Any necessary clearance plan relates the suspected hazards, investigation task and construction sequence. If area clearance or investigation of findings is needed, give these an agreed scope of services. For suitable excavation supervision, agree the work areas and approach. The parties clarify how results and new findings reach the site management team. This allows quotations and construction to relate to the same technical task. Any necessary Ordnance recovery is coordinated with the responsible bodies.

Distinguish access from investigation status

An area that has become available is not thereby investigated. Record which specialist service has already been carried out there and what result is available. Conversely, a temporarily closed section may already have usable findings. For further planning, document access and investigation results separately.

Access may be organisationally released while a particular specialist investigation remains outstanding. Record these as separate facts in the construction programme. The specialist contractor documents which areas could be investigated under which conditions. Interpretation and assessment also need an agreed place in the programme. Before subsequent ground works, check the result needed and its spatial scope. When moving to another construction section, pass complete reports and location appendices to the responsible parties too. This keeps the status achieved traceable for further construction.

Construction sequence

Coordinate investigation and construction sections

Coordinate the first investigation with the construction programme

Show the structure, ancillary areas and proposed sequence together. Identify the period when a section is accessible for the agreed investigation. Agree preparatory services and handovers clearly. This reveals timing dependencies before the affected ground works are due to begin.

Update specifically when the design changes

Mark changed areas and depths on the current plan. Supply the associated earlier reports. The specialist assessment can then establish which conclusions still fit and which question is new. Make the updated information available to everyone whose works depend on it.

Method selection

Select methods according to the task and survey conditions

Historical records and aerial photographs

Historical aerial photograph assessment and other old records help place the basis for suspicion in its spatial context. The available images, their evidential value and the limits of the area considered matter. The absence of an identifiable indication must be distinguished from a technically surveyed ground area. The assessment is considered together with the planned intervention and other available findings. It can support the choice of a survey, but is not a measurement of the present-day subsurface or confirmation for all future works.

Understand aerial photograph assessment

Magnetometric survey

Magnetometric methods detect magnetic anomalies. Whether they can address the specific survey task depends, among other things, on the expected objects, ground conditions, interference and required survey area. Fences, utilities or existing structures may affect interpretation. A measurement signal is therefore not described as ordnance solely because of its strength. Method, interpretation and any further investigation are planned as a connected specialist task.

Understand the scope of magnetometry

Electromagnetic methods

Electromagnetic investigations can be suitable for particular metallic targets and site conditions. Their suitability must be explained for the task, rather than inferred simply from the availability of equipment. Interfering installations, accessible areas and the findings required must also be considered. Results are documented with their location and survey conditions. The specialist assessment determines whether a supplementary method is needed; this remains a project-specific decision.

Understand electromagnetic surveying

Ground-penetrating radar

Under suitable conditions, ground-penetrating radar can provide information about subsurface structures and reflections. Ground conditions, moisture, installations and the particular survey task affect interpretability. An anomaly is not automatically ordnance, and an area with no apparent anomalies is not general evidence for arbitrary depths. The specialist interpretation and its limits are documented with the instruction. A survey for another purpose is not adopted without checking as ordnance evidence.

GPR and limitations

Deep-ground and downhole surveys

For deeper groundworks, it may be necessary to establish whether a surface investigation can provide the required findings or another approach is needed. Preparation includes the location, depth, borehole layout and existing services. Creating access for the investigation must also be properly planned by specialists. A general depth figure or standard grid cannot replace that work. Findings remain limited to the areas actually investigated and the method used.

Prepare deep interventions

Survey during construction

If a necessary preliminary investigation cannot be completed, the specialists assess whether a planned approach during construction is suitable. This includes coordinated investigation, interpretation and communication of findings within the intended work sequence. Visual observation of excavated material is not an interchangeable substitute for a necessary survey. Site management needs a clear description of when specialist work will take place, how new findings will be handled and which areas remain unresolved.

Agree the approach during construction
Technical assessment

Historical information, measurement conditions and construction supervision

Analysis for every proposed ground disturbance area

The Historical aerial photograph analysis assesses available historical indications for the specific location. For a transport project built in sections, its spatial scope must also fit preparatory works. Proximity to a bridge, railway line or water body alone replaces neither this assessment nor a technical investigation commission coordinated with it.

Access and interference during surveying

For the Surface survey, assess access and possible interference. For deeper ground disturbance, a specialist must clarify whether further suitable investigations are needed. Existing structures, utilities or areas difficult to reach may limit the investigation. Clarify the investigation depth needed and achievable for the specific construction area.

Prerequisites for investigation during construction

The explosive ordnance clearance during construction must be planned with a suitable method. It is not justified solely because an area becomes accessible only during a later construction phase. The DGUV distinguishes simple visual observation during excavation from proper specialist work. Clarify the investigation objective, conditions and limits in advance for supervision services too.

Next steps

Coordinate documents and investigation dates

01

Mark the ground disturbance

Mark permanent and temporarily needed working areas. During the initial enquiry, record the project location, next ground works and information sought. Document review assigns existing reports and plans to the proposed ground disturbance.

02

Check the source material

Assign reports and historical findings to the relevant areas. Where underlying information is incomplete, carry out historical research and aerial photograph analysis. Method selection considers suspicion, targets, depths, interference sources and access.

03

Coordinate sections

Coordinate investigation, access and subsequent works. The agreed surveying or suitable supervision addresses the defined areas. Assessment relates findings and investigation limits to the planned works.

04

Hand over results

Document results, limitations and unresolved areas. The report and location appendices, and the clearance record where clearance work was carried out, document the scope. The next decision defines further specialist work or coordination for unresolved areas.

Documentation

Which works the report covers

Findings and their scope

A report should show which areas were investigated, for what purpose and under which conditions. For the site management team, whether later works lie within these areas and depths is particularly important. Include edge areas not investigated, measurement limitations and outstanding tasks clearly in the handover. A general statement such as “site checked” is insufficient.

Project responsibilities

The Bavarian notice in effect since 1 September 2026 assigns responsibility during construction to project owners and contractors. Local hazard response and the tasks of the state-commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service are separate. Property research and project-specific assessment are arranged as private specialist tasks. The commission defines which investigations and results documents FONTANA-EOD provides. Outside their direct federal scope, the BFR KMR serve as technical guidance.

Working approach

How FONTANA-EOD works

Document the agreed specialist service clearly

We assess the planned groundworks against the available documents and their design revision. Before attending site, we agree with you what needs to be investigated, which areas are accessible and what findings are required. If the design or site conditions change, we check whether the agreed scope remains appropriate. The report states what was actually investigated and the limits of the findings. This allows designers and site management to see which findings they can use and where questions remain.

Discuss the investigation task

The task before the equipment

We first establish the investigation objective: which question must it answer? We then select a technically suitable method. The availability of a particular device or experience on a similar neighbouring site is not enough to justify the choice of method on its own.

Keep limitations visible

Inaccessible areas and limited conclusions are identified. They do not disappear into a total area figure. Designers and site management can then decide specifically which areas still need attention and when a suitable survey becomes possible.

Clarify changes before intervening in the ground

A new location, additional depth or different construction method is compared with previous results. A familiar project name does not replace this comparison. Feedback is provided before the affected work so that an outstanding question can be included in the sequence.

Hand over the report and plan together

The technical conclusion remains connected to its location references and appendices. A brief summary helps orientation but does not replace the documented survey scope. This basis is retained even if site management or contractors change.

Understand the results

Use technical statements for the next decision

Explain a brief area label

Terms such as site establishment or temporary works may cover different activities. State whether ground will be excavated, foundations installed or a utility constructed there. This gives the investigation a specific task. The location plan and depth information remain part of this description.

Understand investigation reports and their limitations

Keep partial reports in a clear overview

For several construction phases, an overview can show which report belongs to which area. Keep the complete documents, including limitations. A brief status message does not replace them. Before the next work, compare the relevant results with the construction actually proposed.

The project file holds initial data, the current ground works plan and historical documents together with technical results. The survey report and location appendices describe methods, areas, depths, findings and measurement limits. Include the clearance record where clearance work was actually carried out. The construction phase overview also identifies ground works, sequence and access. Keep unresolved areas listed with the investigations or coordination still needed. Compare later changes with the documented status. Handover to new designers or contractors preserves the complete documents and their relationships.

Understand the service scope
Design and findings

Documents for the next construction decision

Illustration: aerial photographs and maps on two screens and printed on a desk.

Historical evidence and the current design

Aerial photograph interpretation is related to the actual groundworks. Its purpose and geographical scope remain distinct from a technical investigation of the ground as it is today.

Understand aerial photograph assessment
Illustration: two people review plans and documents at a table beside a construction vehicle.

Specialist reports for site management

The findings, their locations and limitations are handed over together. This makes clear to those carrying out the work which area has been investigated and which task remains outstanding.

Assess investigation reports
Four people in orange high-visibility vests in front of two excavators on a construction site.
Person with a yellow survey cart on a footpath in front of a hedge.
Questions from planning

Questions about bridge and transport projects in Regensburg

Do temporarily used construction areas also need investigation?

They must be included in technical preparation where their own relevant ground disturbance is proposed. Whether investigation is needed, and what kind, depends on the type, location and depth of these works and existing findings. This also applies if the area is returned or reinstated after completion. Clarify the investigation need before the affected ground works.

Can the Frankenbrücke report be applied to other properties?

No. The explanatory report dated 24 April 2025 describes a specific project and the findings available at that time. It does not establish investigation results for other areas. Your own project needs separate assessment of site-specific documents and the particular ground disturbance proposed.

Is an extract from the official city map sufficient?

It may help locate the area. The ground works plan, proposed depths and existing specialist documents are also needed. The city map does not certify explosive ordnance investigation or absence of explosive ordnance. The process combines document review, necessary historical research and method selection with investigation, assessment and documentation.

What happens if a later construction phase changes?

Compare the change with documented investigation boundaries. New ground disturbance areas, greater depths or areas previously inaccessible to investigation may need additional specialist services. A report remains tied to its actual scope; a new design does not automatically extend its conclusions.

What should I do if I find a possible item of ordnance?

Stop the affected works and keep your distance. Leave the object unchanged; do not touch, move or further expose it. Notify the police immediately on 110 and follow their instructions. Never transport the object to a police station yourself.

What affects the investigation commission and the work required?

Usable documents, areas and depths, access, interference sources and necessary investigation of findings determine the work required. Project owners and construction contractors arrange the necessary private specialist assessment. Coordinate public authority questions with the responsible body; the state-commissioned explosive ordnance disposal service's tasks are separate.

Does later access alone justify investigation during construction?

No. Even for investigation during construction, the task, suitable method and actual conditions need specialist clarification. The fact that an area becomes accessible only in a later construction phase does not answer these questions. Visual observation during excavation alone does not replace the necessary proper investigation.

How are later additions documented?

With clear references to the affected area, plan version and earlier results. Remaining limitations stay identified. The report and location appendices show methods, areas, depths and results. Where clearance work was actually carried out, the clearance record adds its scope.

Project enquiry

Prepare investigation for your construction phases

Add ancillary areas

Draw access routes, temporary structures and additional foundations. Include the address, cadastral plots, routes, borehole points and ground disturbance depths.

Identify construction phases

Assign access, dates and existing reports. Attach aerial photograph analyses, conditions and utility plans with their version information. Identify project status, contacts and the decision sought.

Project enquiry

Have your project assessed

Whether historical aerial photograph analysis, explosive ordnance surveying, surface surveying using GPR, magnetometry or TDEM, deep-ground surveys, downhole surveys, excavation supervision, area clearance or ordnance recovery is needed depends on the location, ground disturbance, depth, ground and existing documents. An early ordnance assessment provides clarity for tendering, programming, occupational safety and construction.

FONTANA-EOD combines its Section 7 SprengG licence, specialists holding Section 20 SprengG certificates of competence, suitable survey and clearance methods, and traceable documentation. Send the site plan, depth of ground disturbance, construction phase and existing documents for an initial technical assessment.