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Download Dalian has started construction on an undersea tunnel to ease increasing traffic jams. Located at the southern tip of the Liaodong Peninsula, the coastal city has only two main highways connecting its downtown area with its economic development area and accessing other cities in Northeast China. The 5.4-km-long tunnel, across Suoyu Bay, will provide a third transportation artery. Yang Lijun, an official from the city's construction department, said the dual three-lane expressway is due to be completed in 2019. "It will not only relieve traffic congestion but also promote the development of the nearby East Harbor Commercial Area, the Suoyu Bay Commercial Area, and Xianglujiao Logistics Park," he said. The tunnel and facilities will involve an investment of about 7.2 billion yuan ($1.19 billion). Yang said the undersea section of the tunnel will be 2.7 km long and will use the same "immerse cube method" engineering technology, as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge did. The method sees the production of all components on shore before assembling and installing them into the pre-built foundation trench on the seabed. "Compared with drill-explosion method, it is a more advanced technology. More important, it has been successfully applied in the construction of the bridge, and that gives us confidence," Yang said. He said preparation work will be completed this year. | 
