Power, telecommunications, water supply... all kinds of pipelines will be housed in the tunnels, separated into independent compartments without interference; any problem triggers an automatic alarm, allowing personnel above ground to go straight to the source and eliminate hidden risks — this year, 25 cities in Jilin Province will begin construction of such underground utility tunnels, totaling 160 kilometers.

　　Since China launched pilot underground utility tunnel construction in 2015, Jilin Province, as a pilot province, started construction in 15 cities last year, completing 24.75 kilometers of tunnel structures and investing 3.3 billion yuan.

　　This year, as soon as the frozen soil thawed, underground utility tunnel projects in cities across Jilin Province got underway one after another. At the construction site of the underground utility tunnel on Jierong Avenue in Siping City, the reporter saw that the 8.7-meter-wide rectangular tunnel is divided into three compartments: the compartments on both sides house power, telecommunications, water supply and other pipelines, while the 1.5-meter-wide middle compartment is reserved for heating pipelines. In addition, as part of low-carbon city development, the city has reserved dedicated cables for electric vehicle charging piles inside the tunnel.

　　It is understood that construction investment in underground utility tunnels exceeds 100 million yuan per kilometer. Jilin Province has made clear that funding will be addressed through the PPP model of cooperation between government and social capital. At present, the Siping City Underground Utility Tunnel Investment and Operation Company, established under the PPP model, has been formally registered. "A total of six enterprises have been brought in to use social capital for investment in public utilities and solve the problem of insufficient local government investment," said Wang Yu, vice mayor of Siping City.