A worker stands inside the tunnel boring machine "Hehe" in Taizhou. [Photo/WeChat account: jiaojiangfabu]

The Jiefang Lu Underwater Tunnel project, the first ultra-large diameter river-crossing shield tunnel in Taizhou, East China's Zhejiang province, is making significant progress and is now tackling the critical challenge of tunneling beneath the core area of Jiaojiang district.

As of March 17, shield tunneling reached 44 percent completion, and the main structure was 17 percent complete. The first phase of the tunnel spans approximately 4.22 kilometers, with all construction processes proceeding smoothly and on schedule.

To meet deadlines and solve technical challenges, the project has employed the 15.01-meter ultra-large diameter slurry tunnel boring machine "Hehe", which features a 580-metric-ton cutter head and a total machine weight exceeding 2,000 tons, providing robust support for the tunneling process.

The Jiefang Lu Underwater Tunnel combines underwater tunnel and surface road designs, with a six-lane dual-direction tunnel across Jiaojiang and a four-lane road with an emergency lane in the open-cut sections. The design maximizes traffic capacity, ensuring an efficient and safe transportation route.

Upon completion, the tunnel will greatly enhance the efficiency of Taizhou's road network, easing cross-river traffic congestion and promoting high-quality development along the riverbanks. It will provide solid transportation infrastructure to support the city's vision of becoming a major manufacturing hub in the Yangtze River Delta region.