Construction of Haicang Undersea Tunnel expected to start by year's end
19 June 2014The construction on the undersea section of the Haicang Undersea Tunnel is expected to officially start at the end of this year after the completion of the connecting portions in Xiamen's Haicang and Huli Districts, according to local media reports on 13 June.
With a total investment of CNY 6bn (USD 1bn), the Xiamen western tunnel will have a total length of 9.56 km, and its tunnel length will reach 6.34 km. It is designed to be a standard two-way six-lane freeway with a speed of 80 km/h.
Haicang Undersea Tunnel, also called the Second West Tunnel, will be the second undersea tunnel in Xiamen, after the Xiang'an Undersea Tunnel, the first of its kind in mainland China. The preliminary scheme showed that Huli District and Haicang District would be the two points of junction for this project, according to reports.
The tunnel will then continue to go beneath the ground along Xinghu Road, and climb out near Huoju Bei Road. The Xiamen western tunnel will run across Huli District, and connect with Jiahe Road, Chenggong Avenue, Huandao Road and other roads.
The Haicang Undersea Tunnel should help alleviate the heavy traffic load of Haicang Bridge and greatly reduce the traffic distance between the Haicang bonded port area and Xiamen Island upon its opening in 2017.
