China to conduct trial run of first road tunnel under Yangtze River

Source: Xinhua | 12-25-2008 09:12

WUHAN, Dec. 24 (Xinhua) -- China's first road tunnel beneath the Yangtze River will start a three-month trial operation Sunday in central China's Wuhan City.

Construction workers drive a bulldozer in a newly completed tunnel under the Yangtze river in Wuhan, capital of central China's Hubei Province, Dec. 24, 2008. The 3.6-km-long  tunnel, scheduled to open on Dec. 28, is China's first road tunnel under the Yangtze river.(Xinhua Photo)

The 3.6-km, bi-directional four-lane road tunnel would cut travel time to seven minutes from half an hour between the city's major areas -- Wuchang, where government offices and universities are based, and Hankou, the business center.

Workers have almost completed paving bitumen, cleaning the road and wall as well as laying traffic signs. An exercise for letting out smoke and evacuating passengers will be held before the trial operation, Wuhan vice mayor Yin Weizhen said Wednesday.