Tunnel dig ahead of schedule

SHANGHAI: The main construction work on a bridge and tunnel project to connect mainland Shanghai with two of its major islands will be completed within the year, the city's engineering department said yesterday.

The two boring machines being used to build the main tunnels are progressing well under the Yangtze River between Wuhaogou in the Pudong New Area and Changxing Island, which lies between the mainland and Chongming Island, a spokesperson for the department said.

The machines are now just 700 m and 1,400 m from their destinations, and should break through by the end of the year, he said.