Additional dual-lane roadways and slow-traffic passageway through Banzhang Mt opened today. The dual eight-lane north-south artery between New Xiangzhou and Gongbei is expected to greatly alleviate traffic jams in downtown Zhuhai with an anticipated daily capacity of 150,000 vehicles.

Spanning 1,235 m (1,350 yd), the Banzhang slow-traffic tunnel is the longest of its kind in the country. It consists of a 3.5-m-wide (3.8-yd) granite sidewalk, 4.5-m-wide (4.9-yd) non-motor vehicle lane paved with red bituminous concrete, arch walls with stone-line coating, and landscape decoration.

Banzhang Mt tunnels in Gongbei

The 4-m-high (13-ft) passage is decorated with 3D inkjet paintings of blue sky and white clouds on the ceiling, as well as flying birds, balloons, and spacecraft patterns every 50 m (55 yd). There are also promotional videos and cartoons projected on the side walls showing Zhuhai's urban civilization and characters.

Meanwhile, the 1,235-m (1,350-yd) southbound roadway from New Xiangzhou (Ningxi) to Gongbei and 1,220-m (1,334-yd) northbound lane are open to automobiles with a maximum speed of 60 kmph (37 mph).

The older dual four-lane Banzhang Tunnel is designed to handle 40,000 vehicles daily. Due to the rapid economic development of Zhuhai, however, daily traffic flow surged from 5,000 in the 1990s to 110,000 vehicles. The addition of three new passages is to break gridlocks on north-south Yingbin Road and smooth out travel in downtown Zhuhai.

Slow-traffic tunnel with marine elements [Photos provided by Huafa Group to Guanhai App]