In Chongqing, there will be no need to dig the road to maintain pipelines of public utilities like power, gas, and communications, instead it only needs to open an underground comprehensive pipeline corridor. According to Chongqing Juneng Construction Group, works for installing Chongqing's first batch of underground extensive pipeline corridor pilot projects are expected to be completed in mid-July, and the project will be put into use in August.

Over recent years, an underground comprehensive pipeline corridor, also known as "common ditch," is springing up all over the country faster and faster. Built underground, the corridor is a tunnel space that connects all kinds of pipelines like electricity, communications, gas, water supply, and drainage.

Compared with traditional ones, it not only allows centralized management and maintenance but also avoids repeated road digging for pipeline installation and solves many problems such as over dense overhead line networks and frequent pipeline accidents, thereby laying the foundations for future urban intelligent management.

One of Chongqing's first batch of underground comprehensive pipeline corridor pilot projects is located beneath Nanyang Road, Dianjiang County. Up to 2,820 meters long, it adopts the rectangular section form with two compartments. One is the independent gas compartment and the other comprehensive compartment.

Underground comprehensive pipeline corridor pilot projects beneath Nanyang Road, Dianjiang County in Chongqing

Constructed by Chongqing Juneng Construction Group Sichuan No.9 Company, the primary structure broke ground on May 7, 2018, and was accepted on December 5, 2019, and then interior pipeline installation works started.

The interior pipeline installation work started

"Based on local geographical features and pipeline function demands, we have set 67 working shafts, including 15 emergency exits, 15 blowing-in shafts, 16 blowing-out shafts, eight emplacement holes, and 13 branch shafts," said Xiao Li, the Manager of the Project Department.

Since resuming work on February 24, the department has beefed up workers and optimized installation procedures to make up time lost due to the outbreak to speed up installation. At this rate, the installation of the whole project is expected to be completed by mid-July and put into use in August this year.