On November 14, with the completion of the final roof slab concrete pouring, the tunnel main structure of Section 3 of the 341 Provincial Highway Yixing Segment project, constructed by China Railway 16th Bureau Group, was fully completed, marking the full breakthrough of the Zhushan Lake Tunnel—the longest under-lake tunnel on a trunk highway currently under construction in China.

The Wuxi Mashan to Yixing Zhoutie section of the 341 Provincial Highway starts in Zhoutie Town, Yixing City, passes beneath Zhushan Lake in tunnel form, and connects with the S230 Taihu Ring Road, with a total route length of approximately 15.7 kilometers, of which the Zhushan Lake Tunnel is 7.81 kilometers long.

"This time, the main line under construction is 4.48 kilometers long, of which the Yixing section of the Zhushan Lake Tunnel is 4.07 kilometers long, constructed using the cofferdam open-cut method, and joins the adjacent section within Changzhou territory," introduced Hua Kaikai, deputy chief engineer of the China Railway 16th Bureau project. The Zhushan Lake Tunnel project has a maximum cofferdam cross-section width of 228 meters, a maximum foundation pit excavation width of 155 meters, a main structure cross-section width of 44 meters, and a maximum single concrete pour volume of 2,400 cubic meters. It integrates ultra-long and ultra-wide deep foundation pit excavation with multiple support form construction; the tunnel crosses the Taihu Lake region, involving large construction scale and high safety risks. The project team stepped up technological innovation and completed construction one year ahead of schedule.

The project is expected to be completed by the end of the year. After it opens to traffic, the drive from Yixing Zhoutie to downtown Wuxi will be shortened to half an hour, and rapid transfer with the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou South Expressway will be achieved.