China's longest undersea highway tunnel completes shield tunneling

Constructors make a safety inspection at the construction site of Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Second Tunnel in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province, Oct. 2, 2026. China's longest undersea highway tunnel completed all shield-driven excavation work on Friday as a shield machine reached its designated position at a depth of 105 meters beneath the sea surface in Jiaozhou Bay, eastern China's Shandong Province, according to China Railway Construction Corporation Limited.

The Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Second Tunnel will connect Qingdao's main urban area with the Qingdao West Coast New Area. The latter is a national-level new area. The 17.48-km project includes a 14.37-km main tunnel section, featuring two main tunnels and a middle service tunnel, with three lanes in each direction and a design speed of 80 km per hour. (Xinhua/Li Ziheng)