Beijing, Nov 25: The number of expressway tunnels
being built under the Huangpu river in the booming metropolis
of Shanghai in East China is expected to cross 20 by the year
2010, making the city the world leader in number of underwater
tunnels.
Fu Deming, a senior engineer of the Shanghai tunnel
engineering company said as per the municipal government's
outlined plan, 10 new underwater tunnel projects will be built
under the Huangpu river during the next year, in addition to
the six underwater tunnels already completed and another five
projects under construction.
Shanghai is divided into the Pudong and Puxi districts by the Huangpu river, a busy waterway running through the city.
With the fast growth of the Pudong new district, which
has become of one of the most attractive foreign investment
zones in China, the municipal government decided to expand the
cross-river traffic networks so as to facilitate the
development of both sides.
Currently, there are three underwater road tunnels, two
subway tunnels and one tourism tunnel at the bottom of the
Huangpu river, and the five projects under construction will
open to traffic before 2004.
Fu said China has adopted more and more advanced
techniques from foreign countries for the underwater tunnel
construction and tunnel running and management, as well as for
safety inspection after all building is complete.
The underwater tunnel being built below Shanghai's east
Fuxing road is the first with double tracks and double layers
in China, Fu said, noting that the tunnel connecting outer
Ring Road is the largest-scale tunnel in all of Asia.
Bureau Report
