Like a “dragon” snaking above and below the ground, the main line of the eastern section of Shanghai North Cross Channel, which was constructed by Shanghai Construction Group (SCG), is basically completed and will be opened to traffic on August 2, 2024 on a trial basis.

Shanghai Municipal Government's “Project No. 1” North Cross Channel Project, invested in the construction by Shanghai Chengtou Group Co., Ltd., runs through the Shanghai Municipal Center, six urban areas, parallelled to Yan'an Elevated Road, with a total length of 19.1 kilometers. The channel is an important part of Shanghai's “Three Vertical and Three Horizontal” network of the main road, it can also help build a major artery for intercity transportation in the Yangtze River Delta region.

The entrance and exit of the main line of the eastern section of Shanghai North Cross Channel

The fast new channel combining viaduct and tunnel, in the whole process of construction, drawing on Shanghai's experience in many engineering constructions, and the advanced technology in all related professional fields for creative application, overcoming a series of difficult problems, including the ultra-deep excavation, cantilever crossing, span closure over the water, difficult to dismantle the bridge, heavy-duty lifting, large shield tunneling under complex geological conditions.

Smart Rehearsal of Three-dimensional Model

Digital technology is widely used in the whole process of engineering and construction

SCG’s “Modern Luban”, which has mastered digital construction technology, has used digital construction technology such as Building Information Modeling (BIM), virtual construction, remote monitoring and so on throughout the whole process of the construction of the North Cross Channel. The digital construction technology is fully reflected in the construction process.

Let's play back a few construction scenarios that were simulated and optimized at the time –

According to the simulation construction scenario, the dismantling cycle takes 2 months, during which at least 8 road crossings should be required at the intersection. Later, through the study of the spatial relationship between the mainline slope section and the flyover, the flyover reconstruction plan was optimized and shortened from 2 months to 15 days, with only 3 road crossings, and the impact of the construction on the traffic was reduced to a minimum.

the 70-meter-long steel box girder crossing Hengfeng Road.

Factory makes “parts” on-site to “build blocks”

Full application of prefabricated assembling process for elevated bridges in the center of the city

Building elevated bridges in the center of the city in the way of “building blocks”, prefabricated assembly technology is showing its skills in the construction of the eastern section of the North Cross Channel. SCG has formed a perfect industrial chain integrating design, production and construction of components, which has become a leader in the comprehensive application of fully prefabricated assembly technology for elevated bridges in the central city.

Bei Hong Interchange of North Cross Channel is the first full application of full prefabrication and assembling technology for bridges in interchange bridge in the central city, including prefabricated columns, bearing platforms, cover girders, enclosure systems, small box girders and collision walls, retaining walls, and so on. The prefabricated double-section column assembly technology of Bei Hong Interchange of North Cross Channel is the first prefabricated and assembly construction technology of elevated bridge in China, which is organized and implemented by General Contracting Department of SCG in cooperation with Project Department of SCG. Passing through the Tianmu Road Interchange, the public can see that this section of the interchange is very “high”.

“Encyclopedia of Lifting Techniques”

The application of lifting techniques under complex working conditions.

In the construction of North Cross Channel, the General Contracting Department of SCG, together with Machine Group Department of SCG, has applied the lifting techniques freely under the difficult and complicated working conditions. There are 4.6 kilometers long, 23,000 tons of steel structure and the large volume, long span and large curve steel box girder, which should be lifted “five times over the Suzhou River, and four times over the Central Ring Road”. It can be called an “encyclopedia of lifting techniques”, and a “museum of lifting techniques”.

--Unique lifting technique: the longest “Giant” across the intersection in one move.

--Unique lifting technique: large-span cantilever assembled across the existing traffic line.

--Unique lifting technique: lifting large-span cantilever bridge deck in the narrow space.

--Unique lifting technique: Large-span structure lifting technique of “bulk assembling in high altitude” and “crossing at one time”.

The Tianmu Road crossing north-south viaduct

“Underground Hardcore Boring Machine”

Technological breakthrough in large shield construction

SCG’s “Jian Gong” large diameter slurry balance shield machine is one of the largest shield machines in Shanghai at present, and it has experienced many tests, including continuous crossing of housing buildings, Hongkou Port, cutting piles through new built road and tunnel, and many times cutting through operating rail lines at close range. It has made a breakthrough in the construction technology of the ultra-large shield.

Complex and harsh underground working conditions

Overcoming a number of “super problem” of deep foundation construction “super problem”.

North Cross Channel Zhongshan Park work well, which was built to serve as a “feeder station” for the shield machine as it traveled underground to this location, the shield machine is more than 3,000 tons and the diameter of 15.56 meters. The work well is also the largest station crossing shaft in the country.

Zhongshan Park work well of the new construction project Ⅰ of North Cross Channel and Jiangsu Road ramp, SCG contracted to build.

Facing the challenges, the General Contracting Project Department of SCG in collaboration with the Foundation Group Project Department applied the advanced BIM technology to the construction of the project.

“Secret science and technology” equipment to show their power

High-tech “tools” to help the construction of the project

Energy saving, environmental protection and high efficiency can not be separated from the “secret science and technology” to help, SCG in the North Cross Channel project construction process using advanced “tools” to provide support for the project construction, such as seismic-isolation hammer, milling machine, diamond cutting chain, all-terrain vehicles, full-station scanner and so on.

The Milling Machine

The 70RF Resonance Free Hydraulic Hammer