Recently, the main structure construction of the open-cut section tunnel of the Beijing East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project has been completed. It is expected that by the end of this year, the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project will be ready for traffic, at which point multiple east-west roads in the city sub-center will be connected.

Recently, the main structure construction of the open-cut section tunnel of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project has been completed.

This section of the East Sixth Ring Road will be moved underground.

On the south side of the Liyuan North Street exit of the East Sixth Ring Road, the entrance and exit of the East Sixth Ring Road underground section have begun to take shape. Engineering vehicles shuttle back and forth inside the tunnel carrying out construction work. With the open-cut section tunnel achieving "breakthrough" and connecting with the shield-driven section, the main structure construction of the open-cut section of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project has been fully completed. After all construction is completed, vehicles on the existing East Sixth Ring Road section from the Jingha Expressway to Liyuan North Street will be diverted underground, and this section will be transformed into an elevated linear park.

The East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project is a key municipal project implementing the Beijing Master Plan and the Regulatory Detailed Plan for the Beijing Municipal Administrative Center. The project starts from the Jingha Expressway in the south and extends to Liyuan North Street in the north, with a total length of approximately 16.3 kilometers. The road is classified as an expressway, with six lanes in both directions and a design speed of 80 kilometers per hour.

The tunnel construction of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project is divided into a shield-driven section and an open-cut section. The open-cut method is adopted because at the south and north ends of the two tunnels, there are sections that need to connect with the ground surface where the shield tunneling machine cannot operate. Therefore, open-cut construction is used to achieve the transition from the shield-driven section to the ground-level section.

Electromechanical engineering construction and installation work is currently underway.

On August 21, 2023, the approximately 7.4-kilometer shield-driven section achieved double-line breakthrough. Recently, the main structure construction of the 1.8-kilometer open-cut section has been fully completed. It is understood that the completion of the main structure of the open-cut section marks a phased victory for the Tuqiao underground interchange, a controlling node of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project, providing a foundation for the subsequent project schedule and offering horizontal construction access for electromechanical, traffic safety, and ancillary works packages. Currently, the electromechanical engineering is carrying out fire pipeline installation, lower compartment high-voltage support installation, tunnel interior decoration construction, and decorative panel installation.

The tunnel main structure construction coincided with the flood season. To ensure the smooth completion of construction tasks at this node, the East Sixth Ring Road project department formulated a rigorous construction safety management plan, identified flood control priorities, and implemented flood control safeguards. Construction units were organized to inspect flood risk points along the entire line, identifying 13 key flood control locations. For important points, flood control materials, equipment, and personnel were fully allocated. Principal leaders were on duty during the flood season, all relevant flood control personnel were in place, and emergency rescue teams were on standby at all times to ensure that problems discovered during warning responses were resolved on the spot.

After the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project opens to traffic, it will promote the integration of Tongzhou urban area with the administrative office area of the city sub-center, which is of great significance for improving the city's overall traffic service level and building a comprehensive transportation system.

Currently, interior decoration construction and decorative panel installation are being carried out inside the tunnel.

◎Highlight Reveal

Highlight 1: Adoption of intelligent tunnel ventilation technology, with purification efficiency reaching over 80%

In the reconstruction of the East Sixth Ring Road, Shoufa Construction Company has applied many new environmental protection concepts. The East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project fully implements the "dual carbon" concept, adheres to ecological route selection during the project planning and design stage, and achieves full utilization of surface space by going underground through the city. The long shield tunneling scheme is adopted to minimize environmental impact, saving approximately 600 mu of land and reducing tree felling and transplantation by approximately 47,000 trees.

To address the vehicle exhaust ventilation problem in the long and large tunnel, the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction adopts intelligent tunnel ventilation technology, which conducts real-time monitoring based on the distribution of average vehicle speed, traffic wind speed, carbon monoxide and other pollutant concentrations in the tunnel, guiding the operation control of the ventilation system to achieve ventilation energy savings. Air purification devices are installed at the south and north shield shafts of the tunnel. Through the energy-saving coordinated operation of the tunnel ventilation system and air purification system, the pollutant concentration emitted by vehicles inside and outside the tunnel is reduced, achieving green emission reduction, with purification efficiency expected to reach over 80%.

Some lighting facilities inside the tunnel have been completed, and workers are carrying out subsequent equipment installation work.

Highlight 2: Application of noise-reducing pavement and sound barriers to reduce noise impact

In addition to improving air quality, the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction also reduces traffic noise through various means. Two new types of noise-reducing pavement structures are adopted, which according to research can reduce the accident rate on rainy days by over 40% and simultaneously reduce roadside traffic noise by 2-3 decibels.

According to reports, the Sixth Ring Road carries many large vehicles, accompanied by relatively high vehicle traffic noise. To effectively reduce noise impact and provide a good living environment for surrounding residents, the Shoufa Group Traffic Engineering Company, based on the distribution of surrounding residential areas and in accordance with design requirements, will build 13 new sound barriers totaling 3,967 meters and replace 1,374 square meters of soundproof windows. After full completion, these will effectively reduce the impact of noise on surrounding residents after road widening.

Fatigue-awakening lighting facilities are installed inside the tunnel to serve as a reminder for driver safety while driving through the tunnel.

Highlight 3: Application of multiple new technologies for safer driving in the tunnel

At the construction site of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project, some lighting facilities inside the tunnel have been completed, and workers are carrying out subsequent equipment installation work. Currently, the electromechanical system of the East Sixth Ring Road tunnel has entered the comprehensive construction stage. Next, in accordance with the overall project schedule requirements, electromechanical facility installation will be carried out in the open-cut section, shield shafts, and management areas of the tunnel. Four fatigue-awakening lighting facilities are also installed inside the tunnel to serve as a reminder for driver safety while driving through the tunnel.

The East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project will also use marking paint independently developed by Beijing enterprises to enhance safety performance. To solve the deficiency that traditional markings cannot simultaneously meet conventional performance requirements such as appearance and anti-skid indicators, after three years of effort, high-performance anti-skid hot-melt markings have been successfully developed and continuously iterated and upgraded. Through testing, the new markings can increase brightness by 30% and anti-skid performance by 60% while maintaining costs unchanged. At the same time, toxic and harmful substances are reduced. This marking paint is also being applied on Beijing expressways for the first time.

In addition, the electromechanical system of the East Sixth Ring Road tunnel has also been intelligently upgraded based on the original design specifications, adding millimeter-wave radar. Combined with full-coverage video in the tunnel, it achieves full-line dynamic tracking of vehicles inside the tunnel, collects vehicle information along the route more precisely, improves the level of tunnel event detection, and achieves lane-level control inside the tunnel, guiding vehicles to drive safely through tunnel broadcasting, information display screens, and indicator signs.

After the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction, emergency evacuation passages will also be provided below the tunnel.

Highlight 4: Greening along the route will mainly use native plants, emphasizing color and seasonal changes

After the civil engineering, electromechanical, and other unit works of the East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction are completed, the greening project will also gradually begin construction. Through the greening project, the integration of the East Sixth Ring Road with the surrounding environment will be deepened, integrating with culture and transportation to create an ecological and beautiful "natural landscape avenue."

The greening project of the Beijing East Sixth Ring Road reconstruction project includes bridge area greening within the Shiyuan interchange, Huanqiu East interchange, Tuqiao interchange, and Tuanli interchange, roadbed protection greening, and shield shaft top landscape, with a total area of 472,600 square meters. The main works include tree and shrub planting, slope hydroseeding, ground cover planting, and greening water supply installation.

In terms of plant selection for greening, native plants are mainly used along the route, with preference given to native plants such as Chinese pine, Chinese ash, smoke tree, and Sabina vulgaris that have strong resistance, cold tolerance, drought tolerance, barren tolerance, few pests and diseases, and are easy to manage. At the same time, attention is paid to color and seasonal changes to form a sustained and effective stable landscape.

In addition, the greening project also fully considers the future Sixth Ring Road elevated linear park construction project, striving to support the multi-functional area construction of the city sub-center, enhance the ecological space service function, and effectively unleash green development vitality.