The "Shenzhen Underground Utility Tunnel Management Measures (Trial)" was recently implemented, requiring all types of pipelines to be mandatorily placed in tunnels, allowing personnel to enter the tunnels for maintenance work, and eliminating the need to "rip open" roads. Meanwhile, Shenzhen plans to start construction of 270 kilometers of utility tunnels from 2017 to 2020.
In the past, whenever cities experienced severe waterlogging or the "road-ripping" phenomenon, all sectors of society would call for accelerating the construction of underground utility tunnels. This indispensable infrastructure of modern cities has gradually become understood and valued by people. How to advance the construction of underground utility tunnels is a livelihood issue that has attracted much attention.
Underground utility tunnels are also known as "common ducts." They are large enclosed underground conduits built beneath major urban roads, concentrating various municipal pipelines within for unified management, thereby achieving comprehensive utilization of underground space and resource sharing. According to experts, an underground utility tunnel is like "a house built underground," with spacious interiors where various pipelines for municipal water supply and drainage, electricity, heating, communications, traffic management, and gas are orderly "housed." Its construction plays an inestimable role in fully utilizing underground space, saving investment, and transforming the urban landscape.
In some developed countries, common ducts have existed for over a century. As early as 1833, Paris began constructing underground pipeline common ducts to address the laying of underground pipelines and improve environmental quality. To date, Paris has built a relatively well-developed common duct network with a total length of about 100 kilometers. Subsequently, European cities such as London in the UK and Hamburg in Germany also constructed underground common ducts. In 1926, Japan began building underground common ducts, and by 1992, Japan had about 310 kilometers of common ducts, and the length continues to grow. It is worth mentioning that in 1963, Japan specifically enacted the "Special Measures Law on the Construction of Common Ducts," which legally required relevant Japanese departments to build common ducts underground beneath major arterial roads with heavy traffic and potential future congestion.
In China, most cities lag behind or lack in the construction of common ducts. Shenzhen is one of the earlier cities in China to build underground utility tunnels, but the overall progress is still not satisfactory. As early as 2005, Shenzhen built its first underground utility tunnel in Dameisha. Subsequently, Guangming New District and Qianhai also laid underground utility tunnels one after another. However, currently, Shenzhen has only completed 13.4 kilometers of underground utility tunnels, which is still a significant gap compared to some international cities.
Underground utility tunnels are costly to build. According to estimates by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development, the cost exceeds 100 million yuan per kilometer, higher than that of a four-lane expressway. But as some industry insiders have said, compared with the high cost, the lack of relevant regulations is the main reason for the lagging construction. Apart from the guiding opinions on underground pipelines in the "Urban and Rural Planning Law," China still lacks national management measures for underground pipelines. Matters such as the planning, surveying, and archival data management of underground pipelines are scattered across different departments. Once it involves the distribution of benefits and the assumption of specific responsibilities, departments either fight over them or pass the buck, ultimately each doing things their own way, which makes the construction of underground utility tunnels difficult.
The publication of the "Shenzhen Underground Utility Tunnel Management Measures (Trial)" clarifies the responsibilities and powers of relevant departments, while introducing market mechanisms and encouraging social capital to participate in the development and construction of utility tunnels. The construction of underground utility tunnels adopts a model combining government investment, social investment, and public-private partnership investment. The government can promote social capital participation in the investment and construction of utility tunnels through franchise operations, investment subsidies, loan interest subsidies, and land use rights contributed as equity. The introduction of these targeted measures will undoubtedly help accelerate the construction of underground utility tunnels.
In a sense, underground utility tunnels are also a city's "conscience." Debts must eventually be repaid. I hope Shenzhen's utility tunnel construction plan can be implemented as soon as possible to benefit the people's livelihood.