Expected to be completed by the end of the year, the reconstruction project of the Shanghai South Highway is accelerating its progress

Burying sewage pipes, laying roads, and erecting bridges... The renovation of the Shanghai South Highway, a major project in the city, has entered the sprint stage. Most of the road surface will be paved with the final layer of asphalt, and related projects such as greening, street lighting, and signal lights will be implemented. In September, most sections of the 18.2-kilometer-long Shanghai South Highway had basic conditions for two-way six lane traffic, and it was completed by the end of the year.

The Shanghai South Highway was built in the 1940s and is an important passage connecting the original Nanhui area with the urban area. The current Shanghai South Highway, from Kanghua Road to G1503 Road, has a total length of over 32 kilometers. Among them, the reconstruction of the 14.69 kilometer Shanghai South Road from Kanghua Road to Zhahang Road was completed in 2020. The section currently being implemented from Zhahang Road to G1503 Road, with a total length of about 18.2 kilometers, started construction in early 2021. The road is classified as an urban main road, and the entire line is arranged in a bi-directional 6-fast and 2-slow cross-section. Fourteen river crossing bridges are newly constructed or rebuilt.

Unlike general road renovations, the renovation and expansion project of the Shanghai South Highway sewage main pipeline is also implemented together with the renovation of the Shanghai South Highway. The project starts from Zhahang Road in the west and ends at Zaodong Pump Station in the east. It is laid along Hunan Road, Tongfa Road, and Gongji East Road, with a total length of about 27.4 kilometers, a total pipe diameter of 800-2400 millimeters, and a design scale of 355000 cubic meters per day. There are a total of 12 branch lines included in the sewage main pipe of Hunan Road. Divided into two sections with G1503 as the boundary, the scope of the reconstruction project of the Shanghai South Highway to the west of G1503 is consistent.

It is reported that the original sewage main pipe was located on the south side of the Shanghai South Road, built in the 1990s, and has a maximum diameter of only 800 millimeters. With the continuous improvement of environmental standards, sewage from villages and communities along the road needs to be collected, and the original sewage pipes can no longer meet the demand. The renovation and expansion project of the sewage main will provide a more environmentally friendly outlet for sewage in various towns and rural areas along the line.

The renovated route passes through multiple areas such as Hangtou Town, Xinchang Town, Xuanqiao Town, and Huinan Town. The route is long, with high traffic flow and close to residential areas. There are also multiple pipelines along the route, which puts higher requirements on traffic organization during the construction period.

To this end, in traffic organization, active coordination with traffic police departments is carried out. After the relocation of greenery, pipelines, buildings, etc., the construction of access roads is carried out first, and then the handover is carried out. During the construction, it is ensured that "borrowing one for returning one" and the original two-way 4-lane traffic is not affected. At the same time, based on the actual situation on site, the design scheme has been optimized multiple times to accelerate the project progress. The overpass bridge of Shenjiang South Road, located near the historical and scenic protection area of Xinchang Ancient Town, overcame the difficulties of narrow site and large pipeline relocation during construction, especially the complex and intricate pipelines of high-voltage cables, high-pressure gas, and crude oil pipes. It was completed and opened to traffic in June this year, alleviating the traffic pressure in the surrounding area.

With the overall coordination and support of the New Area Construction and Transportation Commission, the renovation project of the Shanghai South Highway and the expansion project of the sewage main pipeline have been rapidly advancing since the beginning of this year. At present, 97% of the sewage main pipeline renovation and expansion project has been completed, and it will be fully completed in September. The reconstruction of the Shanghai South Highway will have basic two-way 6-lane traffic capacity, except for a few sections affected by previous relocation and pipeline relocation.

The Shanghai South Highway, as an important urban trunk road, is also an important transportation link connecting various urban clusters in the central and southern parts of the new area. After the completion of this renovation, the entire Shanghai South Highway will form a traffic main road with a total length of over 32 kilometers and six lanes in both directions. This will play an important role in improving the service level of the main road, improving the road network, and improving the traffic environment of suburban roads. It will lay a better foundation for more fully accepting the spillover effects of the Lingang New Area and promoting the construction and development of urban areas in the central and southern parts of the new area. At the same time, the sewage treatment capacity of the areas along the route has been further improved, and the regional ecological environment has been improved.

Text/Photography: Li Jicheng

*Reprinted from official WeChat account released by Pudong