In recent days around June 28, at the construction site of the Bajia West Cluster area of the Chifeng Central Urban Area Utility Tunnel PPP Project, crane booms hang high and workers move to and fro as a solid underground “fortress” gradually takes shape. As a “hidden” project that fills the gaps in urban underground infrastructure and underpins the city’s appearance, the Central Urban Area Utility Tunnel PPP Project is stepping up construction.
　　Descending the steps in the Bajia West Cluster area, one can see the emerging utility tunnel clearly divided into a power compartment and a comprehensive compartment, with workers on site cooperating with large machinery in intensive construction. Li Jun, project manager of the Bajia West Cluster area, introduced that the area has 7 utility tunnels totaling 15 kilometers, with a construction period of 3 years. After full resumption of work this year, 3 kilometers of foundation pits have been excavated and soil-nail wall support work has been completed, with the main structure being built across 9 work faces. At present, this area is advancing steadily in accordance with the overall construction plan together with other areas of the Central Urban Area Utility Tunnel PPP Project.
　　The Chifeng Central Urban Area Utility Tunnel PPP Project is divided into three areas: the Tienan Shantytown area, the Bajia West Cluster area, and the Xiaoxindi Cluster area, with a total designed construction length of 41 kilometers. It is being built by CCCC Fourth Highway Engineering Co., Ltd., with a total project investment of 2.24 billion yuan. Among them, the Tienan Avenue area has a construction period of 2 years and an operation period of 25 years; the Bajia West Cluster area has a construction period of 3 years and an operation period of 25 years; and the Xiaoxindi area has a construction period of 2 years and an operation period of 25 years.
　　The central urban area utility tunnels are mainly arranged in an interwoven pattern of three vertical and three horizontal trunk utility tunnels, forming the lifeline of the municipal system across the entire area and thereby ensuring the safety of the city’s main municipal pipelines. Other areas are served by branch utility tunnels led out from the trunk utility tunnel lines, ultimately forming a system that combines a ring-network framework based on the trunk lines with a branch network.