Haihe River tunnel opens for trial run

North China's first underwater tunnel using immersed tube technology opened for a trial run in Tianjin Binhai New Area on Friday. The New Central Avenue tunnel will help the development of Tianjin Binhai New Area and the integrated growth of Beijing, Tianjin and Hebei province, officials said.

In an area of high seismic activity, the 4.2-kilometer tunnel, also callded the Haihe River tunnel, links three core economic centers of the city - the Yujiapu area on the north bank of the river, and Donggu and Xigu on the south bank.

The tunnel was financed by the Tianjin Binhai New Area Construction and Investment Group and built by the China Railway Construction Corp 18th Bureau. It took six years to build because of the challenges of immersed tube technology.