Recently, the Yangcheng Lake Xingji Tunnel project has achieved **progress, with the pumping operation of the Phase I cofferdam successfully completed, creating conditions for the construction of the main works.

The cofferdam of the Yangcheng Lake Xingji Tunnel project is implemented in three phases:

During the construction of the Phase I and Phase II cofferdams, the navigable waterway on the lake surface in the Suzhou Industrial Park section is retained;

During the construction of the Phase III cofferdam, the lake surface in the Xiangcheng District section is restored as a navigation guarantee.

The currently completed Phase I cofferdam has a crest elevation of 3.5 meters and a crest width of 6 to 8 meters. It adopts a combination of double-row Larsen steel sheet piles and earth cofferdams to enclose the Xiangcheng District section, while retaining the Industrial Park section as a water-passing cross-section and vessel navigation channel. Cofferdam pumping began on April 20 this year.

The Yangcheng Lake Xingji Tunnel is an important component of Suzhou City's comprehensive transportation system plan, with a total project length of 6.821 kilometers.

The main line starts in the north from Linjia Road, the auxiliary road of the Middle Ring North Line in Xiangcheng District, follows the alignment of the existing Jixue Road, passes through West Yangcheng Lake, and extends south to Yangcheng Lake Avenue in Suzhou Industrial Park, connecting with the north extension of Xinggang Street, with a length of 3.172 kilometers.

The branch line starts in the west from Xiangcheng Avenue, runs eastward along the existing alignment of East Yangcheng Lake Road, and merges southward into the main line tunnel, connecting to Suzhou Industrial Park, with a length of 3.649 kilometers.

Both the main line and the branch line adopt the design standards of urban arterial roads. The connecting roads Jixue Road and East Yangcheng Lake Road are dual-direction six-lane roads; the main line tunnel is dual-direction six-lane; and the branch line tunnel is dual-direction four-lane.

At present, there are already two passages crossing Yangcheng Lake: the West Yangcheng Lake Tunnel and the South West Yangcheng Lake Tunnel.

After the Yangcheng Lake Xingji Tunnel is completed, first, it can relieve the traffic pressure on existing roads in Suzhou's urban area such as Shanggao Road and Loujiang Expressway, and effectively improve the service level of the urban skeleton road network. It can achieve rapid connectivity between the CBD on the west side of the lake in the Industrial Park and the core area of Xiangcheng, shortening the drive from the original half an hour to about 10 minutes.

Second, it can achieve rapid connection between the core area of Xiangcheng and the hinterland on the west side of the lake in Suzhou Industrial Park, which is of milestone significance for supporting the urban spatial pattern, driving the social and economic development of both banks of West Yangcheng Lake, and promoting the realization of citywide integrated development.

We look forward to the early opening of the Yangcheng Lake Xingji Tunnel, creating more efficient and convenient traffic conditions for citizens' travel.