On September 1, the Jinguang Tunnel in Panyu, Guangzhou, officially opened to traffic. The Jinguang Tunnel is the most convenient river-crossing passage connecting Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center and Guangzhou International Innovation City, cutting the commuting time between the two banks from the original 30 minutes to 5 minutes.

On September 1, the Jinguang Tunnel opened to traffic.

It is understood that the Jinguang Tunnel is located in the Xinzao Waterway of the Pearl River. Construction began in April 2018 and was completed in August 2024. The project runs north-south, with a total approved investment of approximately 2.248 billion yuan. The left tube is 2,430 meters long and the right tube is 2,710 meters long. The tunnel is designed with two-way four lanes and is the most convenient river-crossing passage connecting Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center and Guangzhou International Innovation City. Once completed, it will shorten the spatial distance between Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, Guangzhou International Bio Island, Guangzhou International Innovation City and other areas, further leverage the talent aggregation and scientific research advantages of universities in Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center, and promote the integrated development of regional industry, academia and research.

It is worth noting that, as a key construction project in Guangzhou, the Jinguang Tunnel is the first underwater tunnel in Panyu District, Guangzhou, to be organized and constructed independently by the district, and it is also the largest immersed-tube tunnel constructed using a mobile dry dock in the mainland. It consists of the north bank open-cut section, the immersed-tube section, and the south bank open-cut section.

The official opening of the Jinguang Tunnel will strengthen connectivity between Guangzhou Higher Education Mega Center and Guangzhou International Innovation City, accelerate the flow of market factors such as people, logistics, information and capital, promote the deep integration of regional "industry, academia, research, application and finance," and better unite Changzhou Island, Guanzhou Island and other areas to form a "golden island chain" featuring integrated development of education, industry, culture and residential living, thereby providing support for Panyu District to build an innovation highland in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.

With the official opening of the Jinguang Tunnel, urban transportation in Panyu District will usher in new development opportunities. In the future, Panyu District will continue to increase investment in transportation infrastructure construction and optimize and improve the urban transportation network. At the same time, it will also strengthen transportation connectivity with surrounding areas and promote coordinated regional economic development.