Project pathway
The quickest route to the right decision.

What knowledge already exists about your construction area in Mainz? FONTANA-EOD supports clients, planning consultancies and site management with commissioned preliminary investigation and investigation planning. Historical documents and earlier reports are compared with planned groundworks to clarify further investigation needs.
Check aerial photographs and earlier reports for the construction area.
Identify results and gaps in the documents.
Plan further investigations for the groundworks.
For your construction area in Mainz, earlier investigation points and their documented findings are compared with current planning. We assess location, depth and identifiable investigation gaps. Further needs for a larger excavation, new utilities or other planned interventions are determined by specialists from this.
A60/A63 Mainz -Süd motorway interchange – northern bridge and final works Mainz
Service period: 2025-10
Service areas:Downhole magnetometry / deep-ground survey

ADD Rhineland-Palatinate refers precautionary historical research and checks to suitable private specialist companies. For possible explosive ordnance finds, by contrast, Mainz Fire Brigade requires immediate notification of the fire brigade or police and sufficient distance. These tasks are kept separate for your project. The GFZ-Kaserne report provides a specific example of point-specific results, not a general statement about properties in Mainz.
Mainz is an independent city and the capital of Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. Project enquiries may concern Altstadt and Innenstadt, Neustadt, Oberstadt, Hartenberg-Münchfeld, Gonsenheim, Bretzenheim, Hechtsheim or Mombach. These locations do not replace the exact project address and work area. For projects in the Rhine-Main or Rhine-Nahe area, for example related to Wiesbaden, Mainz-Bingen, Bodenheim, Nieder-Olm or Ingelheim am Rhein, the actual project municipality and federal state are stated. The competent body is clarified for this location; an enquiry's connection to Mainz does not create uniform responsibility for the surrounding area.
The overview of the SGD Süd provides further local information for the regional context of your construction project.
The Aufsichts- und Dienstleistungsdirektion of Rhineland-Palatinate distinguishes its explosive ordnance clearance service's tasks from general investigations before construction. Its official deployment prevents specific hazards. For preventive historical research and aerial photograph analysis, ADD refers to suitable private specialist companies. This does not imply blanket findings about a particular property in Mainz.
In its commemorative article of February 2025, Mainz recalls the air raid of 27 February 1945 and severe damage in the city. Such historical context is connected with the specific locations affected and available records. It does not in itself establish investigation status for a present property. For a construction task, local knowledge is compared with the planned area, intervention depth and subsequent ground changes.
For city-centre and infill projects, rail and freight areas and Rhine and bridge locations, the interventions actually proposed are described. These may include bank protection, ramps, access routes or retaining structures. Former commercial and industrial areas with subsequent changes of use or overbuilding also receive a traceable reference to current construction planning. Known soil relocation through reconstruction, fill or utility and infrastructure works is considered as documentary information. Whether further specialist tasks follow is assessed for the area affected.
At GFZ-Kaserne, individual drilling and trial-pit positions were investigated for explosive ordnance before geotechnical investigations. The geotechnical report by Rubel & Partner of 16 January 2023 describes clearance measurements by WST GmbH; some starting positions were slightly shifted locally so that the geotechnical investigations could be authorised to proceed. The appendix identifies investigated points individually and records limitations beneath existing installations. Anyone subsequently planning a larger excavation or utility trench there must therefore compare the proposed location and depth with the actual investigation scope.
For the commissioned activities, the relevant technical requirements and questions of permits, competence certification and responsibility are clarified. The actual planned service scope is decisive. A general company designation does not replace checking that the tasks and interfaces are described appropriately for the specific project.
The risk assessment, working areas and communication must fit the planned activities. Explosive ordnance specialist works are coordinated with the other construction works. Operational organisation, traffic safety and other technical checks retain their own responsible parties. Joint coordination brings the information together and assigns tasks and decisions to the respective competent participants.
A measurement anomaly first requires specialist assessment; its appearance alone does not identify it as explosive ordnance. If an object is genuinely suspected to be ordnance, the prescribed reporting procedures and the measures set by the responsible authorities apply. Investigation reports specify the work completed and its limitations, so that results are not extended to unexamined areas or later design changes.
Procedure at the site: City of Mainz: GFZ-Kaserne, geotechnical report of 16 January 2023, p. 4 and appendix 5 · Mainz Fire Brigade: frequently asked questions, response to possible explosive ordnance finds · ADD Rhineland-Palatinate: tasks of the explosive ordnance clearance service.
Planning and documentation: BFR KMR: principles of clearance planning · BFR KMR: geophysics · BFR KMR: documentation · ADD Rhineland-Palatinate: explosive ordnance clearance service information sheet, June 2025 · DGUV: explosive ordnance clearance FAQ
The BFR KMR are used as technical guidance; locally applicable requirements and responsibilities must be clarified separately.
The permit, qualifications and responsibilities for the specific activity are assessed under the Explosives Act and the First Ordinance to the Explosives Act. The risk assessment under Section 5 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act relates to the planned activities. The DGUV Information 201-027 addresses preventive investigation and clearance of conventional explosive ordnance and defines its scope. The references it explains to DGUV Regel 113-003 concern specific activities involving explosives; they are not applied indiscriminately to every construction investigation.
The client describes the project and provides the available project documents. The operator adds requirements relating to use, access and scheduling. The participants agree their respective tasks and decision-making responsibilities. A coordinating contact person brings the project information together. Before an appointment, it is recorded clearly which information is missing, who will obtain it and which decision the result is intended to support.
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.
The private explosive ordnance specialist carries out the agreed investigation and documentation scope. Official requirements and decisions are clarified with the competent authorities concerned. The documents needed for a particular procedure depend on the location and project. The technical report describes the specialist service performed; its conclusions are not presented unchecked as general authorisation for further groundworks or as an authority's decision.
First clarify the findings missing for the planned excavation or other groundworks. Earlier point-specific results are considered. The suitable method follows the scope required and present conditions. Equipment named in a third-party report or a measurement depth achieved there is not a general specification for your own project.
Assess historical documentsA missing appendix and a documented uninterpretable area are different starting situations. Both are described with their reference to current planning. The next specialist task is derived traceably from this. Initially unclear allocation is not replaced by a blanket promise, and an adjoining area provides no automatic evidence for the outstanding area.
Compare investigation methods
Assign earlier starting positions to present planning using the complete documents. Markings and coordinates must fit together traceably. Relocated points retain their location actually investigated. A similar name or the same property address is insufficient if the new excavation lies elsewhere or includes further areas.
Use original point designations with the documented positional reference. An existing plan is connected with the present design version. If the coordinate or elevation system used is unclear, ask the issuer to clarify it. A relocated borehole is considered at its actual position. Specialist planning then compares the investigated ground volume with the newly planned structural element, its work areas and connection areas. Outstanding allocations remain identifiable as specific enquiries.
Document investigation points and plan reference
A result for a particular borehole or trial-pit position describes its documented scope. Intervening areas are not automatically covered. For a later excavation or utility trench, the entire intervention area is compared. A series of earlier points therefore does not replace traceable allocation of findings to the new construction project.
Show the excavation boundary and additional slope, shoring or connection volumes required on the current site plan. Proposed depths receive their relevant elevation reference. Existing result plans are compared spatially with these. In particular, clarify whether the earlier investigation actually addressed a single starting position or a larger area. Supplementation required is related to the missing findings. Its execution and prerequisites required are agreed before the affected groundworks.
Document findings and their limitations
Between earlier investigation and present planning, facilities may have been removed, areas altered or new installations built. Identify known changes and their date where documented. They may affect the further task. However, the changed condition itself provides no new explosive ordnance result and does not extend the earlier investigation scope.
Compile known dismantling conditions, new utilities and changes to the ground surface. Identify the document supporting each statement and whether its date is traceable. Former structural components, filled areas or changed access may also matter for a larger excavation. Specialist planning checks their effect on the present investigation question and measurability. Usable older results retain their original spatial reference and limitations recorded at that time.
Specialist services and investigation tasksAttach the planned construction area and existing point-specific results to the enquiry. First clarify whether their scope of findings needs specialist assessment or a supplementary investigation is required for the new groundworks. For an assessed finding, include its processing status. The quotation can thus describe the specific specialist task, its location and depth and result documents required. Earlier investigation of individual ground-investigation points is considered with its actual scope.
Define the specialist taskAn earlier accessible borehole position does not establish measurability of today's construction area. Before the appointment, therefore clarify which areas are accessible, where existing structures or other trades affect work, and which utility information exists. Preparatory work required is agreed to suit the method. Dismantling, surface changes or new investigation access receive separate coordination with specialist planning and responsible parties; they are not created independently for measurement.
Clarify preparatory work in the programmeThe scope of private specialist work is agreed using the project documents, actual execution conditions and permissible activity. Necessary preparatory works, investigation, evaluation and documentation are described transparently. Costs and dates are related to these prerequisites and the required coordination. Changes to the construction plans are checked against the agreed contract before work is extended.
Discuss the scope and scheduleIdentify the construction area with a suitable site plan and mark the proposed groundworks. For a project with several structural elements, their areas should be distinguishable. It can then later be checked whether historical findings concern the entire intervention or only one area.
Existing analyses, earlier reports and other knowledge are compiled with their respective reference. What the material actually depicts and the limits of its analysis matter. Check whether the documents answer the outstanding question for the new project.
A specific indication and a gap in available sources are different starting situations. Both should be described traceably. Missing information does not establish safety. Conversely, an unresolved point without specialist assessment is not yet a substantiated suspicion of explosive ordnance.
If an excavation grows or another foundation is added, the spatial scope of findings must be compared again. The change may raise new investigation questions. Record the plan version associated with assessment so that older and new findings are not mixed in further planning.
Documentation identifies findings originating from older documents and those added through further work. Maps and limitations remain fully assigned. A combined report must not conceal original limits. For the next construction phase, the specific question answered and area still outstanding become identifiable.
In the combined document set, identify areas or points investigated subsequently. Supplementary reports remain available with their maps and appendices. For each statement, actual work scope and relevant plan version are identified. Elevations are assigned to the ground surface at that time. Following later excavation or fill, applicability to the new intervention is compared by specialists. Areas not yet addressed or subject to limited interpretation remain distinguishable.
Site management receives the current design with associated specialist results. An overview identifies covered areas, supplementary investigations and outstanding questions. Complete reports remain decisive. A single note on cleared investigation points is not used unchecked as evidence for a new continuous construction area.
Handover identifies the decision required for the next construction section and knowledge available for it. Changes to excavation geometry are shown on the same plan version. Further specialist work is described with its reason, spatial scope and prerequisites still outstanding. If site management changes, missing appendices and unresolved peripheral areas are also passed to subsequent participants. After clearance work, the clearance record, stating scope, results and limits of findings, supplements evidence for the areas actually addressed and relevant plan version. Investigations and protective measures required are clarified before preparatory or further ground interventions.
Compile the original report including the point list, plans and limitations. Add present construction planning and known changes to existing conditions. Missing components are identified. It can then be checked specifically which findings remain usable and which planned interventions require further specialist work.
State the original purpose of existing investigations. A point list includes associated locations, results and limitations. The planned new intervention is described with structural elements, work areas and depths. The outstanding specialist question can thus be distinguished from a missing appendix. Information required is requested specifically from the appropriate participant. The permissible further commission is agreed using this specific task and knowledge actually usable.
After further investigation, check whether the findings required for the location and depth of the current intervention exist. Changed structural elements and work areas also belong in this comparison. Documentation remains linked to each plan version. A subsequently enlarged excavation receives its own assessment rather than silently falling under the earlier result.
In a new design version, changed points and additional ground volumes are clearly identified. Specialist assessment considers results still applicable and findings requiring supplementation. The agreed method is compared with local measurement conditions for this task. After execution, areas actually addressed are compared with the result required. Remaining limits and follow-up tasks are passed to responsible participants with the associated documents.
For historical assessment, the construction area needed today is considered even if earlier documents depict only individual starting positions. Available aerial photographs and old records are checked for period, spatial coverage and identifiable limits. Known later ground changes supplement this basis. This helps prepare further specialist work requirements. Historical analysis does not, however, describe measurement of the present ground; an absent recognisable indication extends neither an old point-specific record nor its reach for new interventions.
Understand aerial photograph assessmentFor supplementary magnetometry, specialists check whether magnetic anomalies can be interpreted in the ground volume required. Steel-containing structures, fences and utilities may affect the relationship between measurement signal and investigation objective. Planning therefore considers expected objects, local interference and spatial coverage required. Signal assessment and possible further clarification form part of the specialist task; signal strength alone does not establish explosive ordnance. Magnetometry measures the magnetic field passively. The magnetic effect of the target object is decisive; electrical conductivity alone does not establish its detectability by this method.
Understand the scope of magnetometryFor electromagnetic investigation, suitability for the metallic objects sought and ground volume newly considered is justified. Accessible measurement areas, interfering installations and findings required help determine planning. Data actually recorded receive positional references so that they can be compared with earlier results and current construction planning. Supplementation required by specialist assessment is determined for the remaining task rather than derived from equipment available. In transient electromagnetic methods, TDEM, the time-dependent electromagnetic response of conductive objects is evaluated. The method is selected according to the investigation objective and actual measurement conditions.
Understand electromagnetic surveyingGround-penetrating radar can provide interpretable structures and reflections for the question concerning the expanded construction area. Findings depend on ground conditions, moisture, existing structures and investigation objective. A dataset obtained for geotechnical investigation therefore first needs specialist assessment of its purpose and scope. Interpretation documents the findings possible for the explosive ordnance question and their limits. Neither a single reflection nor an unremarkable radar area in itself establishes explosive ordnance or arbitrary investigation depths.
GPR and limitationsFor a deeper excavation, the ground volume required is compared with existing point investigations and findings achievable from surface measurement. If a deep-ground or borehole survey is necessary, starting positions, depths, layout and existing utilities are planned specifically. Earlier points shifted locally must also remain identifiable in the documents. Suitable preparation of investigation access forms part of specialist planning. A blanket depth or standard grid describes neither this commission nor the subsequent spatial reach of its results.
Prepare deep interventionsIf parts of the construction sequence remain inaccessible for complete advance investigation, the suitability of investigation during construction is assessed for those areas. The workflow identifies the construction sections concerned, specialist work required and communication of new findings. Investigation and interpretation are coordinated with execution; mere visual inspection of excavated material does not replace the survey needed. Site management must be able to identify findings available after a stage and adjoining or deeper areas still outstanding.
Agree the approach during constructionA historical aerial photograph analysis is assessed using available material and the question. It does not replace a technical investigation where one is needed for the outstanding task. Conversely, measurement should not be commissioned without reference to existing knowledge and the planned intervention. Where historical questions remain open, a suitable specialist company is commissioned to perform the research and aerial photograph analysis required; the work is focused on the property and specific question and carried out accordingly. Existing analyses are considered with their maps, findings and limits.
For a survey, the specialist question and local conditions must fit together. Clarify the findings needed for the forthcoming intervention and investigation limits. Define the investigation objective and findings required before selecting the measurement method. Intervention depth, ground structure, utilities, interfering objects, accessibility and actual measurability are decisive. For individual borehole points, findings required and the spatially limited scope of borehole clearance certification or technical evidence are specifically agreed.
A surface survey can be assessed only with its documented scope. If individual areas are inaccessible or insufficiently interpretable, this remains visible in the result. Agree further action for these areas separately. The result of an adjoining area does not answer the question still outstanding there.
A permissible specialist task during construction is planned with the work area and existing knowledge. Measurements, areas addressed and observations receive a traceable positional and elevation reference. Merely observing excavation is not an equivalent substitute for proper explosive ordnance surveying or clearance during construction. Further investigations or area clearance required are agreed with their specific permissible scope. For an actually suspicious object, the reporting channels and measures of competent bodies apply.
Show location, structural elements and planned ground interventions unambiguously. At first contact, provide the project location, construction task and clarification sought. Existing reports, point lists and maps are checked for plan version, spatial reference, completeness and gaps.
Bring existing analyses and their spatial limits together. Where historical questions remain open, a suitable specialist company carries out the research and aerial photograph analysis required. The suitable method is chosen according to the knowledge sought, ground structure, utilities, interfering objects and actual measurement conditions.
Agree supplementary investigation or technical investigation required. The permissible specialist commission, access, preparatory work and protective measures needed are clarified with responsible participants before the ground interventions affected.
The agreed survey or proper specialist investigation accompanying construction is carried out within the permissible specialist commission on the coordinated areas and points. Survey data and observations receive a traceable spatial and elevation reference. Uninvestigated areas, restricted access and relevant interference are recorded.
The collected data and findings are evaluated against the investigation objective. The technical assessment considers interference, the areas reached and remaining limits of the conclusions. It establishes which further investigation or work is needed for the planned groundworks.
The report and plan attachments document the specialist works performed and their assessment. Worked areas, investigation depths, the relevant ground surface and limitations remain assigned. Reused older results and newly investigated areas are recorded distinctly. The agreed recipients receive the related documents together.
Hand over the report, area addressed and remaining limits together. The responsible participants use the associated documents to decide on additions or adjustments required for the next specific ground intervention.
Documentation distinguishes existing sources, knowledge derived from them and investigations actually performed. It records what a statement concerns and which questions remain outstanding. Anyone planning further groundworks later must be able to check from the report whether they are already covered or renewed specialist comparison is necessary.
FONTANA-EOD provides and documents the agreed permissible specialist service. Report findings are tied to the task, area and depth addressed and limits recorded. Applicability is compared with subsequent specific groundworks. The tasks of competent authorities in a specific hazard remain intact. The BFR Kampfmittelräumung apply directly to federal properties. Outside that scope, they may provide guidance for specialist preparation alongside the local and statutory requirements applicable.
FONTANA-EOD performs the agreed supplementary investigation using current intervention planning and usable previous reports. In the result, old evidence and newly addressed areas are assigned distinguishably. The report records actual execution, relevant measurement conditions and remaining limits. If the excavation or its accessibility changes during planning, further scope required is agreed before execution. The next construction decision thus receives the appropriate spatial and specialist basis.
Discuss the investigation taskThe outstanding question may initially concern usability of old results or already require a new field investigation. Only after this distinction is the appropriate method determined for the ground volume required. Equipment availability and experience from an adjoining site do not replace this task-specific selection.
Investigated points, newly covered areas and areas still omitted remain distinguishable on the plan. Limitations due to existing structures or lack of access are documented with the findings affected. Planners and site management can derive the investigation still required and its actual prerequisites from this.
A widened excavation, relocated utility trench or changed reference elevation is compared with previous results before the work affected. Mark the change in current planning. Specialist assessment determines which findings remain usable and which investigation must be supplemented.
Previous reports used and supplementary results are handed over with their associated plans and positional and elevation references. A summary identifies the status achieved and outstanding tasks without replacing complete appendices. Subsequent site management or a new contractor also needs this associated basis.
If an investigation point was moved from the original plan, the position actually addressed must be traceable. Its earlier designation alone is insufficient for later spatial comparison. New interventions are related to the documented location. It thus remains clear whether a result fits spatially or an outstanding investigation question remains alongside it.
Understand investigation reports and their limitationsA depth stated in an investigation report describes the scope documented there under the conditions at that time. It is not a general service commitment for other areas or methods. For your own project, depth required, question and measurement conditions are considered separately. Remaining limitations are also explicitly recorded in supplementary work.
Understand the service scope
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
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


Historical assessment, technical investigation and further work answer different questions. The enquiry describes the outstanding task, affected areas and depths, and the results required. The permissible scope of services is agreed in line with the actual conditions and responsibilities.
Compare services
Preparation connects the commission, site work and handover of findings. Changes to the project can then be incorporated into technical coordination in good time.
Process and documentationAccording to ADD's task description, the explosive ordnance clearance service focuses on official prevention of specific hazards. General preventive investigations and certificates without corresponding indications are not part of that task. ADD identifies private specialist companies for historical research and aerial photograph analysis.
Specialist analysis, suitability of the material and its relationship to the investigation question are decisive. Images alone are not yet an investigation result. Their specialist analysis describes what indications arise for the construction area and what limits the material has.
Such a conclusion cannot be drawn as a blanket rule. Available sources, their limits of findings and the specific task must be assessed. Documentation must show what was actually investigated or assessed and whether further questions remain.
Yes, the changed intervention must be compared with existing knowledge and documented investigation scope. Further clarification needs may arise. Whether additional services are required depends on the specific difference between old and new plans.
Stop the affected work, keep your distance and do not touch or move the object. Mainz Fire Brigade requires immediate notification of the fire brigade or police. Use 112 or 110 respectively and follow official instructions; do not attempt recovery yourself.
Not automatically. The documented scope of each result is compared with the entire proposed intervention area. Where findings are absent, intervening areas require separate clarification.
Its location actually investigated must be clear from the documents. This position is compared with present planning.
Work involved depends on usable preliminary documents, preparatory work and access required, area size or number and depth of investigation points, suitable method, measurement conditions, interpretation and documentation. Identify existing point-specific results and the intervention area now planned. The precautionary specialist service required is offered with its specific permissible scope.
Attach complete earlier point lists and present construction planning. Send the current site plan, a description of groundworks and existing analyses or reports. Identify the decision still outstanding. FONTANA-EOD agrees with you which investigation is required and how results are documented. State the project address, land parcels and current processing status. Original plans and appendices needed remain fully assigned. Missing documents are identified with their purpose. For an additional construction area, existing findings and areas requiring new clarification are shown distinguishably.
Mark new excavations, utilities, depths and areas previously outstanding. Identify construction area, route and borehole points with planned intervention depths and the relevant elevation reference. Add construction periods, existing official conditions, utility plans and aerial photograph analyses. Identify the decision to be prepared using the result. Known interfering objects, existing installations and access limitations are communicated. Investigations and protective measures required are clarified before preparatory or further ground interventions.
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.