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Innovative tunnel links both sites
2009. 20 July
by Dong Zhen
(shanghaidaily.com)
Engineers working on the Xizang Road S. Tunnel, one of Shanghai's newest cross-river vehicle routes and the only one connecting both 2010 World Expo zones along the Huangpu River, say it will be an innovative combination of art and technology.
The 2.67-kilometer long tunnel, with a 1.17-kilometer span beneath the Huangpu River, will become crucial for Expo traffic as the designated tunnel linking both Expo sites.
Ten days ago, the tunnel was partially put into use with the opening of one of its two tubes.
The project's chief engineer, Yang Junlong, said the requirement to service Expo has been incorporated from the start into the tunnel's design.
"It will be the only tunnel across the Huangpu River to connect with ramps beside the main roadways," Yang explained.
The tunnel meets on the western side of the river at the crossing of Xizang Road S. and Zhongshan Road S. 1 and also stretches to the intersection of Gaoke Road W. and Yunlian Road in Pudong New Area. Different from other tunnels, it also has three ramps, one exit ramp near the Puxi end and two others at its Pudong end.
Anticipating a much larger traffic demand from inside the main Expo zone in Pudong, the designer has opened two ramps on the tunnel's Pudong end that facilitate traffic both arriving and departing.
The ramps are expected to effectively divert traffic using the tunnel during Expo, according to the project designer.
An estimated 60,000 to 70,000 visitors per hour will be crossing the river between the Expo sites. Most of them will be in vehicles with the rest transported by ferries and Metro, according to Expo organizers.
The engineers have not only tried to maximize the tunnel's traffic efficiency but also addressed its aesthetics in their design.
Yang said a special decor material, called Artech plate, has been used to cover the main structure inside the tunnel.
The white plate is refined and looks magnificent and pleasant to the eye, Yang said.
Vertical greenery strips are also laid along some parts of the tunnel, not only for decorative purpose but also to help absorb noise and vehicle exhaust, according to the project designers.
Compared with the delicate interior decorative tasks, early-stage digging of the tunnel tubes was risky and challenging. One of tubes was dug only 2.68 meters below the tunnel of Metro Line 8 near the eastern bank of the Huangpu River, said the engineers.
When the digging machine was operating close to the Line 8 tunnel, engineers said that to complete this "extreme" pass-by, around-the-clock monitoring was necessary to make sure the Metro tunnel's underground movement was controlled to within 20 millimeters to ensure the structure's safety.
The eastern tube of the Xizang Road S. Tunnel has been in special service since last weekend by buses on eight cross-river routes that have been detoured because of renovation construction on another vehicle tunnel.
Thousands of daily bus passengers have therefore been able to take a privileged tour inside a dedicated Expo tunnel that will not open to full traffic until next year.
During Expo, only authorized vehicles and Expo passenger buses will be permitted to use the tunnel. Its western tube will be completed before end of this year. Tunnels in service
Dalian Road Tunnel
Outer Ring Road Tunnel
Xiangyin Road Tunnel Yan'an Road E. Tunnel
Fuxing Road E. Tunnel
Dapu Road Tunnel (single-tube tunnel, currently closed for renovation)
Under construction
To open before Expo
Xinjian Road Tunnel
Renmin Road Tunnel
Xizang Road S. Tunnel
Dapu Road Tunnel's New Tube (an expansion of the old tunnel in service)
Shangzhong Road Tunnel
Jungong Road Tunnel
To open after Expo
Longyao Road Tunnel
Changjiang Road W. Tunnel
Under current planning, 14 tunnels altogether will eventually exist under the Huangpu River to connect Pudong and Puxi.