City’s drainage tunnel project starts shield construction

The shield tunneling machine is ready for service. Photos courtesy of Qianhai Investment Holding

The Qianhai-Nanshan drainage tunnel project, said to be the country’s first large-scale comprehensive drainage tunnel, entered the shield construction stage on Nov. 12.

The underground project spans the Qianhai Shenzhen-Hong Kong Modern Service Industry Cooperation Zone and the Nanshan District, with a total investment of 2.41 billion yuan (US$340 million). Construction on the project started on May. 30 last year.

To ensure the safety and controllability of the tunneling, Qianhai Investment Holding, investor and constructor of the project, conducted several expert reviews on the shield tunneling plan before the shield tunneling machine was put into service.

The constructor has also drawn on the ripe experience of some overseas tunnel projects and invited several Hong Kong designing and consulting companies to participate in the project.

According to Guo Jun, general manager of Qianhai Investment Holding, the tunnel project will overcome a series of technical difficulties of including waterproofing, anti-corrosion, water and soil pressure, shield tunneling, and continuous wall, which will also provide references and experience for the construction of other urban flood control and drainage engineering projects in the country.

Heads of construction units and government authorities attend the ceremony marking the start of the shield construction.

Zhang Xiaomei, deputy general manager of Qianhai Investment Holding said that the problem of water logging and flooding in some Nanshan District areas and Qianhai during rainy seasons will be addressed while at the same time water quality of the bay area will improve after the project complete construction is completed.

“Once the project is operational, wastewater and rainwater will be diverted to the Nanshan Sewage Treatment Plant, and during rainy seasons, flood water will be treated and discharged through the Qianhai River corridor. The drainage tunnel project is part of Qianhai’s efforts to improve its water quality and water environment.” Zhang said.