BEIJING, Sept. 12 (Xinhua) -- The underground reconstruction project of the East 6th Ring Road in Beijing stretches 9.2 kilometers underground with a maximum depth of 75 meters, and its main works are basically complete. On the basis of the original East 6th Ring Road, construction of the 6th Ring Road High Line Park will also be partially launched this year, creating a world-class public vitality space that mainly embodies leading innovative development, showcasing high-quality urban integration, and becoming a near-zero-carbon-emission demonstration project.

This was learned by reporters on the 12th from the Tongzhou District special session of the series of themed press conferences marking the 75th anniversary of the founding of New China.

Zheng Hao, head of Tongzhou District of Beijing, said that the first feature of the 6th Ring Road High Line Park is its high degree of connectivity. The park runs 14 kilometers from north to south and is 300-500 meters wide, and will achieve the integration of four routes -- a walking path, a running path, a cycling path and an autonomous-driving sightseeing lane -- linking five major functional areas: the Songzhuang Art and Creative Town, the Administrative Office Area, the Canal Business District, the Urban Green Heart and the Cultural Tourism Area.

The second feature is its high degree of functional integration, including international exchanges, commercial retail, parent-child interaction, cultural experiences and other functions. In particular, more than 200 public activity venues most loved and most urgently needed by the public -- such as ball sports, extreme sports and children's adventure facilities -- have been laid out, and a model garden-city project is being built in parallel, with green coverage to rise from 50 percent to 80 percent.

The third feature is its strong radiating and driving effect. Once completed, the project will radiate to and drive the surrounding urban space, continuously enhancing the market vitality and value factors of the surrounding areas.

Zheng Hao said that on the west side of the East 6th Ring Road, construction is being accelerated on the sub-center station integrated transport hub, an important link in the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei "one-hour transport circle," whose main works are expected to be basically complete by the end of the year. The project has three main highlights. The first is station-city integration, truly achieving underground transport and an above-ground city. Underground, it brings together intercity railways, suburban railways, subways, buses, parking and extensive commercial facilities; above ground, it creates a composite functional area of more than one million square meters, including offices, retail, hotels and housing, with a canal wharf and waterfront park built along the bank.

The second highlight is its green, low-carbon, sunlight-filled station hall. Passengers on the waiting platforms 32 meters underground can also feel natural sunlight. The already-unveiled "Beijing Sail" roof not only has a very unique design but also incorporates a variety of green, energy-saving construction technologies, saving about 500,000 kWh of electricity for lighting each year.

The third highlight is efficient transfer and interconnectivity. Four railways and four urban rail lines have been planned and built, along with more than 160 entrances and exits. Eighty percent of transfers can be completed within 3 minutes, and the average time to reach above-ground buildings is no more than 4 minutes, achieving true all-round accessibility.