The Herren Tunnel is a 780 metre-long road-tunnel underneath the river Trave. The city of Lübeck in the Hanseatic League region of Northern Germany had a major traffic congestion problem across the Trave River, which divided the old city from the new regions of the city.The traffic used to run across the Trave River via a road bridge, which was desperately in need of replacement The Federal government offered sufficient funds to the City of Lübeck for a replacement bridge at the initial planning stages in 1997.The best option for the city was the construction of a bridge that will take the traffic along the diverted national B104 under the river. The budget for the construction of the tunnel amounted to €179m. €89m came from the Federal government, €54m from loans (HSH Nordbank) and €36m from HLKG.