Currently, the Chunfeng Tunnel project has completed 94.7% of its excavation, and the shield-driven section is expected to achieve full breakthrough by March. Photo by Correspondent Li Yu

At the start of the Chinese New Year, major transportation construction projects across the city have kicked off in full swing. At a depth of 48 meters underground at the intersection of Bao'an South Road and Mumianhua Road, at the Chunfeng Tunnel construction site, more than 100 construction workers have already reported for duty, going all out to achieve the construction goal of "tunnel breakthrough next month, completion by the end of the year."

The Chunfeng Tunnel is Shenzhen's first municipal highway tunnel constructed using the shield method, and also its first motor vehicle tunnel with a single-tube double-deck design, characterized as "large, difficult, risky, and novel." The tunnel has an average depth of below 20 meters, with the deepest point reaching 49 meters. The shield passes through the built-up area of Luohu, where buildings and structures along the route are old, posing high safety risks and bringing enormous challenges to technical control.

According to the Shenzhen Municipal Transport Bureau, as of now, the project has completed 3,409 meters of excavation, accounting for 94.7% of the total, and the shield-driven section is expected to achieve full breakthrough by March. In addition, the internal structure of the shield tunnel has been nearly 60% completed, and the tunnel is expected to be completed and open to traffic by the end of this year.

It is understood that, as an important component of Shenzhen's "South Ring" expressway system, the Chunfeng Tunnel starts from the east side of the Shangbu Interchange on Binhe Boulevard in the west, runs from west to east, and ends on the east side of Beidou Road where it merges into Yanhe South Road, with a total length of 5.08 kilometers. The shield-driven section is 3.6 kilometers long, with upper and lower deck lanes, each deck having two lanes in one direction plus a continuous emergency stopping lane. The design speed is 60 km/h, and it is a dedicated passage for passenger cars.