The shield tunneling of the right line of the Haimen-Taicang (Haitai) Yangtze River Tunnel surpassed 50 percent of its progress on March 22, marking the project's entry into the critical phase of crossing the main waterway of the Yangtze River. 

An interior photo of the Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel, which connects Haimen district in Nantong and Taicang city in Suzhou. [Photo provided to nantong.gov.cn] 

As the world's longest underwater highway tunnel built with shield tunneling, the Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel employs a dual-line tunneling approach. The right line shield section, built by China Railway 14th Bureau, spans a total length of 9,315 meters. 

With the help of a digital shield tunneling intelligent management platform, the team has navigated several key risk points after overcoming challenges like long distances, large diameters, and high water pressure. At a steady pace of 16 meters per day, the tunneling machine has advanced 4,658 meters. 

The entire Haitai Yangtze River Tunnel extends for 39.07 kilometers, with the section crossing the river measuring 11.185 kilometers. It is designed as a six-lane highway with a speed limit of 100 kilometers per hour. 

The tunnel is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2028. Once open, the travel time from Nantong to Suzhou and Shanghai across the river will be reduced to 10 minutes, further promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta region.