Lujiazui walkers to get a lift

By Dong Zhen  |   2008-10-18  |     NEWSPAPER EDITION

THE Pudong New Area government is planning to set up a temporary overpass across Century Avenue in Lujiazui to help pedestrians navigate an area that's been disrupted by the construction of a new tunnel.

Pedestrians and commuters from the Lujiazui Metro Station have been inconvenienced since two of the station's exits were closed recently for the massive road tunnel project.

The exits used to provide easy access to and safe passage across Century Avenue.

Now pedestrians have to make long detours or jaywalk across busy traffic flows on Century Avenue.

The district authority said urban infrastructure planners are looking into several possibilities as they decide where and how the temporary overpass will be built in an effort to help the most pedestrians.

The exits are closed because two ramps are being built as part of the East-West Passage project.

The underground vehicle passage will connect with the Pudong end of the Yan'an Road Tunnel, run under Jinqiao Road and come out in the Jinqiao Export Processing Zone.

The 7.8-kilometer East-West Passage Tunnel will comprise a vast, inter-connected underground system.

Some roads in the Lujiazui financial zone and nearby areas, as well as two other vehicle tunnels that run under the Huangpu River, will also be connected to the East-West Passage with entrance and exit ramps.

The two ramps currently being built are meant to help vehicles driving in and out of the Yan'an Road Tunnel.

When the ramps are completed, the original end of the Yan'an Road Tunnel will be closed for construction so it can be connected with the vehicle passage that runs underground in the Pudong area.

The project is a key effort in the campaign to ease traffic congestion in the Lujiazui area and integrate the traffic network on both sides of the river.

The tunnel system is scheduled to be completed before 2010, when Shanghai plays host to the World Expo.