Good news for those planning to visit Xishan Island during the National Day holiday! Today, reporters learned from Wuzhong District that the Xishan Island Access Channel Expansion Project has successfully passed completion acceptance and is scheduled to open for trial operation at 7:00 a.m. on September 30. The Xishan Island Access Channel Expansion Project starts at its northern end at the intersection of the Taihu Lake Ring Road resort section and the northern approach road of Yuyangshan Tunnel, with a newly built northern approach road to Yuyangshan Tunnel extending southward. Its southern end terminates at Dadao South Road in Jinting Town, at the southern foot of the No. 3 Bridge of Taihu Bridge, with a total length of approximately 11.99 kilometers. The project involves a total investment of about 1.3 billion yuan and broke ground in March 2014. The completion and opening of the Xishan Island Access Channel Expansion Project will increase vehicle capacity from the original 7,000 vehicles per day to 20,000 vehicles per day, effectively alleviating congestion on Taihu Bridge, further shortening the distance between Xishan Island and central Suzhou, and boosting leapfrog development of all-for-one tourism on Xishan Island. It is understood that Yuyangshan Tunnel is the longest mountain tunnel in Suzhou, with a total length of 2,410 meters. It is a long tunnel designed for a speed of 60 km/h with two-way four lanes. During trial operation, it will be open daily from 6:00 to 24:00. Trucks, tractors, motorcycles, non-motorized vehicles and pedestrians are prohibited, and lane changes are strictly prohibited inside the tunnel. Taihu Bridge is designed for a speed of 60 km/h, and motor vehicles are prohibited from stopping on both the new and old bridge decks. Local speed limits of 40 km/h apply to the connecting roads of Changsha Island and Yeshan Island.