CHINA’S longest undersea highway tunnel completed all shield-driven excavation work on Friday as a shield machine reached its designated position at a depth of 105 metres beneath the sea surface in Jiaozhou Bay, eastern China’s Shandong Province, according to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited.
The Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Second Tunnel will connect Qingdao’s main urban area with the Qingdao West Coast New Area. The latter is a national-level new area. The 17.48-kilometre project includes a 14.37-kilometre main tunnel section, featuring two main tunnels and a middle service tunnel, with three lanes in each direction and a design speed of 80 kilometre per hour. According to Wang Junping with the China Railway 14th Bureau Group Corporation Limited, the project used a combination of drill-and-blast and shield tunneling methods, advancing from both the east and west shores of Jiaozhou Bay and meeting under the sea.
The main shield section has a maximum depth of 95 metres below the sea surface, and the service tunnel reaches 105 metres, creating high water pressure and requiring stringent sealing and waterproofing. — Xinhua
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