A tunnel project has been planned by the city’s urban planning authority to connect the Shekou and Qianhai areas, which are geographically separated by the Dananshan and Xiaonanshan mountains.
The tunnel will go under Xiaonanshan Mountain to connect with the western extension of Nanhai Boulevard in Shekou. It will be part of the Nantou Peninsula trunk road that links the Qianhai and Shekou Area of the China (Guangdong) Pilot Free Trade Zone with the rest of the city, according to a report by the Southern Metropolis Daily, quoting Tan Quan, director of the planning department of the city’s urban planning, land and resources commission.
Tan, while explaining the overall development plan for the Qianhai and Shekou area, said the plan for the tunnel that will go under Xiaonanshan is an upgraded version of the original plan.
According to the original plan, the 1.65-km Dananshan Tunnel would have linked Zhaoshang Road in Shekou and Gangcheng Road in Qianhai. The project was listed in the city’s 13th Five-Year Plan. Its aim was to relieve congestion on the overloaded Nanhai Boulevard and Yueliangwan Boulevard.
But, according to Tan, the Dananshan Tunnel plan couldn’t, from the root, meet the demand to foster closer ties between the Qianhai and Shekou areas.
Under the new plan, the existing Nanhai Boulevard will be extended westward and go under Xiaonanshan to connect with Mawan No. 4 Road in Qianhai through the tunnel.
In the overall plan for the Qianhai-Shekou area, two U-shaped roads will form the backbone of the peninsula’s transport system. The first U-shaped road consists of Shahe West Road, which is under renovation, Wanghai Road, Xinghai Boulevard and Yueliangwan Boulevard.
The second U-shaped road comprises Nanhai Boulevard, Chiwan No. 2 Road, Xiaonanshan Tunnel, Mawan No. 4 Road and Menghai Boulevard.
In the long term, Wanghai Road will connect with Mawan Boulevard, and a bigger U-shaped fast road network will be formed to relieve traffic congestion on the peninsula.