Construction of tunnel under Wuning Road starts Friday
Construction of a 3-kilometer tunnel under Wuning Road in Putuo District will start on Friday evening.
Shanghai traffic police said on Wednesday that the project will last about four and a half years. It will directly link the G2 Expressway and the Inner Ring Road, and is expected to significantly relieve traffic pressure on Wuning Road.
However, congestion on Wuning Road and nearby streets will likely be even worse during the construction, police said.
The tunnel will have four lanes (though initially six at the tunnel entrances), and above the ground, the street will have six lanes.
During the construction, the current eight lanes on Wuning Road between the Middle Ring Road and the Inner Ring Road will be reduced to seven in some parts. It’s estimated that during peak hours it will take 35 minutes to drive through the 5km section between the Middle Ring Road and the Wuning Road Bridge — instead of the usual average of 16 minutes.
Due to construction of seven Metro stations on and near Wuning Road, traffic on nearby major roads such as Tongchuan Road and Daduhe Road will also be under greater pressure.
Nearby streets including Caoyang Road and Jinshajiang Road are already burdened by congestion, so the project on Wuning Road will only add to traffic problems in the area until it's finished, police said.
To relieve the increased traffic pressure during the project, bus-only lanes on Wuning Road between Daduhe and Caoyang roads as well as Caoyang Road between Wuning Road and Caoyang Road Bridge will be open to all vehicles, police said.
On the seven-lane part of Wuning Road between Daduhe and Kaixuan roads, police said they will ensure four lanes are operating in the busier direction during morning and evening peak hours.
Also, signs giving the estimated time to traverse road sections will be erected at the entrance of G2 Expressway to Wuning Road.
The board number on the left shows the time needed if a driver goes along Wuning Road, while the number on the right shows the time it will take if he chooses to go along another route.
Daduhe, Yangliuqing and Caoyang roads are the best options, police said, for drivers who want to get on the Inner Ring Road and avoid congestion on Wuning Road.
Putuo District traffic police said they will assign more assistant police officers to Wuning Road and nearby streets.
Yan Jialiang, vice general manager of the No.2 business branch of SMI Highway, said arrangements of the project have been streamlined with nearby projects of Metro stations.
“A lot of effort on the project will be focused on rearranging pipes and lines supplying water, gas and electricity under the street to make way for the tunnel,” he said.
The first two stages of the project, which will each last 16 months, will concentrate on the north and then south side of Wuning Road, while the third stage, lasting a year, will involve work on the middle section.
By the beginning of the last stage, which is scheduled to last eight months and will be focused on facilities above the ground, the tunnel will have been completed.
