On August 24, with the hoisting and lowering into the shaft of the "Linkong" cutterhead, which has a diameter of 15.08 meters and weighs about 376 tons, the shield machine assembly work for the Shaoxing Qunxian Road project undertaken by China Railway 14th Bureau Group has been basically completed, marking that the "Linkong" shield machine is about to enter the commissioning stage and that underground tunnel excavation is imminent.

The "Linkong" shield machine is currently the largest-diameter slurry balance shield machine in Shaoxing, with a total length of 140 meters, a weight of 3,600 tons, an excavation diameter of 15.08 meters, and a total installed power of 9,000 kilowatts. It is one of the most advanced and intelligent shield machines currently configured for municipal tunnels. The cutterhead lowered into the shaft this time weighs about 376 tons and is assembled and welded from one center block, 8 main cutter arms, and 8 auxiliary cutter arms. The cutterhead was transported to the site in sections for welding, and the assembly and welding took 28 days to complete.

Hoisting and lowering the cutterhead into the shaft is the most important process in the entire shield machine assembly stage, and also the most difficult and highest-risk procedure. The cutterhead of the "Linkong" shield machine is the largest and heaviest single component of the shield machine. To ensure the smooth completion of this hoisting, the project team made scientific arrangements and advanced planning, continuously integrated resources and optimized allocation, formulated a detailed plan for hoisting and lowering the cutterhead into the shaft, and conducted hoisting simulations many times. They also carried out detailed hoisting safety training and technical briefings for management personnel at all levels and frontline construction workers to ensure precise docking between the cutterhead and the shield body.

On that day, the shield machine cutterhead slowly rose from the ground under the main lift of an 800-ton crawler crane and with the assistance of a 400-ton crawler crane. After completing a series of operations such as turning over and rotating, it was accurately hoisted to the predetermined installation position in the 30-meter-deep shield launching shaft.

After the cutterhead is hoisted and lowered into the shaft, the project will carry out pipeline connection, synchronous commissioning, negative ring assembly, and other construction work, laying a solid foundation for the subsequent shield launching.

It is reported that the underground tunnel section of the Shaoxing Qunxian Road project is 2.19 kilometers long. From east to west, it successively crosses the Xiaocao Canal, the pile foundation of the Xiaocao Canal Bridge, Huancui Zen Temple, the Xiaoyong Railway, and the South Canal, and reaches the south double line of National Highway 104. It is the most important link in Shaoxing's "twelve horizontal, six vertical, and seven connecting" trunk road network. The project is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 2026. By then, it will open up the "dead-end road" that has troubled residents' travel and vehicle transportation between the two places for many years, and will play an important role in opening up the "major artery" of transportation integrating with Hangzhou and realizing the "half-hour traffic circle" from Keqiao to Hangzhou.