Jiangyin-Jingjiang Yangtze River Tunnel achieves world's first breakthrough in underwater shield docking

A rendering of the Jiangyin-Jingjiang Yangtze River Tunnel. [Photo/Taizhou Television]

The Jiangyin-Jingjiang Yangtze River Tunnel has reached a major construction milestone, completing the world's first shield-to-shield tunnel docking under conditions of high water pressure and highly permeable ground. The achievement is a strong sign that the tunnel will be able to open to traffic on schedule.

The connection point sits directly beneath the Yangtze River's main navigation channel, with the tunnel crown located about 54 meters below the water surface and water pressure at the shield's lowest point exceeding 70 meters. The alignment passes through layers of fine, medium, and coarse sand with strong water permeability, posing unprecedented challenges. Globally, no similar tunneling project in such soft, water-rich formations had previously offered a technical reference.

A joint team of designers, builders, universities and research institutes tackled multiple technical bottlenecks and ultimately delivered a precise, high-quality underground connection.

Designed as a key transport link between Jiangyin in Wuxi and Jingjiang in Taizhou, the tunnel is built to expressway standards with six lanes in two directions, a design speed of 80 km/h, and a total length of 6.45 kilometers.

A diagram of the shield-to-shield tunnel docking. [Photo/Taizhou Television]