Jinan, a city of 9.4 million people and the capital of Shandong Province in East China, has made world headlines. Crews working there have completed the monumental task of building the world's largest-diameter underwater shield tunnel.

Using the largest available tunnel boring machine (TBM) on Earth, the China Railway 14th Bureau Group Co., Ltd. is still excavating the main section of the 3.6-mile (5,755 m) tunnel. The 2-mile (3,290-m) section of underwater shield segments, however, is complete.

This section is a colossal 55.8 ft (17 m) in diameter and consists of 500 pipe rings of underwater shielding, making it the largest-diameter tunnel of its kind anywhere in the world.

For comparison, the Channel Tunnel that connects the UK and France has three tunnels, two of which are the public rail tunnels with a diameter of about 25 ft (7.6 m) ... though it is significantly longer, at 31.4 miles (50.5 km).

The Jinan Huanggang tunnel will feature six lanes of travel in both directions in a double-decker configuration, with a 60 km/h (37 mph) speed limit. It will be a crucial north-south passage across China's second-longest river, the Yellow River, enhancing connectivity between Jinan's main urban area and what is described as "the starting area for the transformation of new and old kinetic energy."

Aside from setting a world record for the tunnel's sheer size, the 14th Bureau Group also set a world record for completion time for such a vast undertaking.

Crews began tunneling on September 1st, 2024, and while the entirety of the tunnel hasn't yet been completed, the underwater shielding portion has. It was accomplished in a mere 110 days. The Shanhe shield machine had a daily advancement rate of 52.5 to 59 ft (16 to 18 m), setting a new world record for 17-meter-class shield construction.

The boring machine in question is the Herrenknecht "Shanhe" Shield Machine, a mixshield tunnel boring machine boasting a 57.4-ft (17.5-m) excavation diameter – roughly 5 stories tall. The cutterhead driver has 7,510 hp (5,600 kW) and about 25,827,209 lb-ft (35,017 kNm) of torque. Yes, nearly 26 million lb-ft of electric motors and hydraulic power.

It's built to operate and withstand up to 7.5 bar of pressure (that's 7.5 times normal atmospheric pressure at sea level). The excavation chamber on the business end of the Shanhe can handle up to 15 bar using a specialized automatic air cushion to balance pressure, maintain stability, and prevent collapse or flooding.

The cutting wheel is equipped with a flushing system to help prevent clogging. It also has a telescopic camera system in the excavation chamber to monitor the cutting bits and tunnel face. This reduces the need for hyperbaric intervention by maintenance workers, which is time-consuming and dangerous.

If you want to get a Shanhe for yourself, it'll likely set you back at least US$80 million or so. This figure is based on the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority (VTA) in the US having shelled out a cool $76 million a 16.46-meter diameter Herrenknecht TBM.

The Jinan Huanggang Road Yellow River Crossing Tunnel is scheduled for completion sometime in late 2025.

Source: https://newatlas.com/transport/world-record-jinan-huanggang-road-yellow-river-crossing-tunnel/

Jinan, Penglai, Yantai....
Memories..

Nigerian Engineers left d group chat

China is by far smarter than Russia.
I am sure China will never agree to fight any war,they are just interested in economic and technological dominance.

North Korea and Russia will rush quickly into destruction in few years time.

Interesting
Please read my signature

saintkel:
Nigerian Engineers left d group chat

No be dy/dX 🤣🤣

Nigerians engineers only likes government jobs where they can cut corners and take a lot of corrupt money.

They are least innovative

Nigeria president is negotiating the course that is qualified for loan 🤣🤣


Bastard nation with daft citizens

Congratulations

Nigeria own is under construction by June 2026 it will be completed

Ok

The pace with which China is developing, it's obvious democracy is not the only formula to progress. If Nigeria knows that democracy is not working and this federation is not feasible pls we must not copy the West hook line and stinker

That's a country that works

West Africans deluded brainwashed slaves will say, thank God for colonization, we won’t have known how to use phones

Now let me tell you what your dull brain doesn’t know, we were inventors before the white men came to colonize you and corrode your culture and identity. We have never invented anything since they came and brainwashed you to abandon your traditions.

The most technologically advanced nations in the world today did not accept white man religion and did not lose it all.

See Korea, Japan, China teaching you practical lessons

While you’all go to Shiloh and mosalasi, and bowing down to white saints and Arab gods. While you black Africans name yourselves Peter, John, Mary , Abdullahi, Ibrahim. The Japanese, Chinese did not change their names nor did they accept Islam or Christianity… yet they are doing excellently well

China and technology be like 5&6

Ok that's nice

Please can someone remind me how far behind we are??

In Nigeria we are still celebrating the completion of 20 KM expressway by the government

saintkel:
Nigerian Engineers left d group chat

🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣😆😆😆

And people are still getting killed in stampedes while struggling to collect $30 bag of rice in Nigeria.

We are still celebrating toothpick manufacturing

They shouldn't make it sound like they are the first no 5th,this juet the largest not the longest
Why does China try to make it look like they did it first to ignorant people

saintkel:
Nigerian Engineers left d group chat

Never to come back.
A pure shame..
China and Nigeria were at par 45 years ago.
Dubai was a desert in the 60s.
Singapore was a swampy wetland in the 60s.
Malaysia was a sleepy dull sweaty country in the 60s.
Where was the UAE in the 60s? full of desert sand and Bedouin
Where are they now?
Compare to Nigeria..
You will weep and cry .

China is actually the most advanced country on the planet today. But western propaganda still has a lot of people on choke hold.

Africa are cursed

xpressionx:
China is by far smarter than Russia.
I am sure China will never agree to fight any war,they are just interested in economic and technological dominance.

North Korea and Russia will rush quickly into destruction in few years time.

It is why I am always shocked when I see people put China under the service of Russia.
China is Russia's equal and even more in many areas so cannot serve Russia's interest.

China can never sacrifice their growth and advancement purely for Russia's interest if it doesn't DIRECTLY affect them.
More ridiculous is when I see certain people do it for Iran as well. Like China will confront the US cause of Iran. Laughable.

It is only the US that's notorious enough to do any of that and why they are very successful in doing that is cause they have the means and tools to keep destruction away from their homeland.

PrepNEWYEAR:
Nigeria president is negotiating the course that is qualified for loan 🤣🤣


Bastard nation with daft citizens

u call Nigeria a bastard nation but your parents are there too

What does that make your parents?

𝕠𝕜

Monumental record it is. Kudos for that epoch making initiative.