Chinese start building the world’s longest subsea road tunnel

The construction has kicked off on the world’s longest subsea road tunnel and the second Jiaozhou Bay tunnel in China.

The launch ceremony took place in Qingdao’s West Coast New Area on October 29, bringing together leaders and experts from government, academia, as well as Qingdao Conson Development.

Qingdao Conson Development began preliminary research on the second Jiaozhou Bay Subsea tunnel in 2012.

In total, it carried out four pre-feasibility and 15 feasibility studies.

The tunnel will begin at Huaihe East Road in West Coast New District, stretching alongside Liugongdao Road and passing under Jiaozhou Bay before landing at Qingdao Port, and connect East Coast, effectively connecting Qingdao’s coastal urban areas.

At 15.89 kilometres, it will feature six two-way lanes, making it longer than Norway’s Ryfylke tunnel (14.3 kilometers).

The earth and stone excavated are set to top 8 million cubic meters, exceeding Japan’s Seikan project (5.2 million cubic meters) and Europe’s Channel project (4.8 million cubic meters).

Wang Jianhui, the chairman of Qingdao Conson Development, said:

“The second Jiaozhou Bay Subsea tunnel will optimize the city’s urban structure and strengthen the connection between the east and the west, enabling both sides of the strait to flourish and alleviating traffic congestion.

“With a high standard of design, construction quality, and management efficiency, Qingdao Conson Development is excited to contribute to the emergence of Qingdao as an open, modern, dynamic, fashionable, and international city.”

The second Jiaozhou Bay Subsea tunnel should serve as an international benchmark in tunnel design, construction, and operations for the next decade, paving the way for future sea tunnels in China and around the world. It will also promote the development of Jiaozhou Bay, enhance the overall competitiveness of the Jiaodong Peninsula.