The construction of a large-scale tunneling project under the Yangtze River kicked off Wednesday in east China’s Jiangsu Province, the China Railway Construction Corporation Ltd. said on Thursday.
The project is intended to establish a major trans-river road link under the country’s longest river, connecting Nantong City with Taicang City.
With a designed maximum speed of 100 km per hour and three lanes in each direction, the expressway would be around 39 km long, including 11.2 km under the river.
Zhang Di, the chief designer said that the expressway was scheduled to open to traffic in 2028 and would be a hallmark project adopting sophisticated techniques of shield tunneling, water repellent and fireproofing.
After completion, the tunnel would help promote the integrated regional development of the Yangtze River Delta and further improve road networks in the region.
