Chongming traffic link offers chance to develop
21/1/2005 8:27
Shanghai Daily news
Chongming County has a great
opportunity to develop after the long-awaited Shanghai-Yangtze River Tunnel and
Bridge Project broke ground at the end of last year.
The so-called
Shanghai-Chongming Expressway is the biggest link of its kind in the world. The
infrastructure project covers a total distance of 25.5 kilometers and will
connect Pudong with Chongming Island, the country's third-biggest island.
Two
8.9-kilometer-long tunnels will be built to connect Wuhaogou in Pudong with
Changxing Island and a 10.3-kilometer cable-stayed bridge will be constructed to
link Changxing to Chenjiazhen Town on Chongming.
Each of the tunnels, with an
inner diameter of 13.7 meters and outer diameter of 15 meters, offers three
one-way lanes designed for speeds of up to 80 kilometers per hour.
The
cable-stayed bridge, with a main span of 730 meters, will meet two-way
navigation requirements required for 30,000-ton standard container vessels and
50,000-ton cargo ships. The bridge will have six lanes, designed for speeds of
up to 100 kilometers per hour.
A 6.3-kilometer elevated highway will also be
built on Changxing Island to link the tunnel with the bridge.
The massive
link will involve a total investment of 12.3 billion yuan (US$1.48 billion) and
is expected to be completed in five years.
The development of Chongming has
long been hindered by geographical restrictions.The only way to get to the
island, at the moment, is by ferry, which takes at least two hours.
The
island - covering an area of 1,225 square kilometers - has lagged significantly
behind the rest of the city.
However, Chongming's economy is expected to
receive a significant boost once this bottle-neck is broken, according to county
officials. Hengsha Island and Changxing Island will also be developed.
Once
the entire project is completed, travel time will be reduced to 30
minutes.
The project will also be an important section of the expressway link
from Shanghai to Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, and is a crucial part in the country's
infrastructure plans.
Strategically located at the intersection of the
coastal economic zone and the Yangtze River Delta region, Chongming is also
expected to serve as a "springboard," creating even closer ties between Shanghai
and the Yangtze Delta region.
The island will build a northbound expressway
to a planned bridge that will link it to Qidong, Jiangsu Province.
The
planned bridge will also be connected with the Jiangsu expressway, leading to
Nantong and Nanjing in Jiangsu.
Property developers are already excited about
the island's promising future, but county officials said they will adopt a
cautious approach, hoping to attract the upper echelons of mainland
society.
Sun Lei, the county director, said that transport was the main
problem on the island, but protecting the environment would also put certain
limits on the sort of projects they accept. The ecologically protected island
will rely mainly on environment-friendly industries.
While the link is built,
much effort will be spent to preserve Chongming's natural marshlands and
migratory birds.
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