Additional Yingbin Road dual-lane tunnels and slow-traffic passageway through Banzhang Mt are in the final stage of construction and expected to open by July despite COVID-19 outbreak delays.

The three additional Banzhang Mt tunnels are designed to break gridlocks on north-south Yingbin Road, further alleviate traffic pressure on downtown Zhuhai, and allow for pedestrians and bicyclists to pass through.

Landscaping near North Yingbin Road in Ningxi has been completed and  underground pipelines are being laid. Workers are installing pipeline cover plates at the New Xiangzhou-to-Gongbei tunnel and cleaning up the road surface at the northbound tunnel. Ramp asphalt pavement of the two tunnels will be done by April 27.

Firefighting pipeline installation [Photo by Chen Xinnian / Guanhai App]

Affected by the epidemic, the project team could not resume work until Feb 24. Various measures taken for the benefit of workers include disinfection, travel inquiries, nucleic acid tests, and dissemination of information on how to contain the spread of the virus.

Meanwhile, more workers and equipment have been deployed to get back on schedule. There have been 330 workers at the construction site since last month. And, the shortage of raw material supplies is well addressed, according to chief engineer Liu Xing.

The project consists of a 1,235-m (1,350-yd) southbound route, 1,220-m (1,334-yd) northbound passageway, 1,235-m (1,350-yd) slow-traffic tunnel, and link road expansion. Construction was undertaken by China Railway Tunnel Group in May 2018.