A section of Beidi Road in Changning District has been closed for construction of a tunnel.

Drivers will have to avoid the section between Jianhe and Pingtang roads for the next 10 months. A 6-meter-wide path has been reserved for pedestrians, Changning announced yesterday.

The 1.7-kilometer tunnel under Beidi Road will connect the middle and the outer ring roads. Upon completion around 2020, vehicles will be able to drive directly from the Middle Ring Road to the Jiamin Elevated Highway.

Drivers will be able to go from Hongqiao to the Zhoujiazui Road Tunnel in Yangpu District through the tunnel and the under-construction Beiheng Passage, a 19-kilometer road to linking Changning, Putuo, Jing’an, Huangpu, Hongkou and Yangpu districts.

Currently, Beidi Elevated Highway only connects with the Outer Ring Road. Drivers have to leave the highway to reach the Middle Ring Road.

Severe congestion is common along the section of Beidi Road.