Circular skywalk to link Metro and shopping malls
Workers install rain shades and handrails for the 1.2-kilometer-long skywalk to link Lianhua Road Metro station to a cluster of shopping malls in Minhang District by the end of the year.
The longest skywalk in Puxi will open in December to connect Lianhua Road Metro station to a cluster of shopping malls in Minhang District, officials said on Monday.
Upon its completion, the 1.2-kilometer circular walkway, will shorten the walking distance between the Line 1 station and nearby shopping malls to less than five minutes from the current 20 minutes.
It will link the station to the Friendship Shopping Center, Brilliance South Shopping Mall, Lianhua International Plaza and other properties currently under construction, according to Minhang District government.
Though these malls are only 100 meters or so away, currently Metro commuters have to alight from the station and climb onto an overpass to reach the commercial properties on the opposite side of Humin Road. Some pedestrians put their safety at risk to cross the busy road to save time.
Escalators are also being installed to make it easier for pedestrians to reach the circular walkway.
"Seniors struggle to climb down and then up to cross the road every day especially on rainy days," said a nearby resident surnamed Zhu, who takes the Metro to downtown every weekday.
The new skywalk, which costs 161 million yuan (US$ 24 million) comprises four sections of walkways including one to connect directly with the second floor of the Metro station. Escalators are also being installed to make it easier for pedestrians to climb up and down.
The steel structure of the skywalk has been completed and installation is under way to place rain shades over it as well as a lighting system to illuminate the walkways with colorful lights at night, the government said.
It has become a trend for local commercial zones to build skywalks to make it more convenient for shoppers as well as to create sightseeing platforms as new attractions.
Zhongshan Park commercial zone in Changning District, for instance, will build a skywalk to connect nine major malls in the area, while Xujiahui commercial zone plans to create a circular skywalk to link Xujiahui Park and over 10 shopping malls.
A skywalk already in operation in the Lujiazui commercial district of the Pudong New Area has not only become a fast link between the Lujiazui skyscrapers but also a popular site for tourists to take photos.
An artistic rendition of the 1.2-kilometer circular walkway to link Lianhua Road Metro station to a cluster of shopping malls in Minhang District.
An artistic rendition of the 1.2-kilometer circular walkway to link Lianhua Road Metro station to malls in Minhang District by the end of the year.
