An enormous shielding machine broke the last barrier in the well east of SIP's Chexie Road on Sept 17, marking the completion of the first tunneling project for Suzhou Rail Transit Line 5, a 44.1-km east-west artery being built in Suzhou to link several of the city's core areas and help alleviate local traffic pressure.

The tunnel between Xinghujie and Chexielu Stations, 752.40m in full length, passes the No. 1 Songjiang Road Bridge at 3.2m beneath the bridge pile bottom and clustered residential buildings, and its completion demonstrats excellent architectural and risk control techniques.

According to people close to the project, track laying in the tunnel will start soon.