The construction of underground utility tunnels is a crucial project for strengthening the city's "foundation", an important means to solve the problems of "road zippers" and "aerial spider webs", and to improve the disaster resilience of pipelines for electricity, communications, water supply, etc. Yesterday, Wang Yanyan, Chief Engineer of the Xiamen Municipal Administration and Forestry Bureau, stated on the Xiamen Municipal Government website that the "Measures for the Management of Urban Underground Utility Tunnels in the Xiamen Special Economic Zone" (hereinafter referred to as the "Measures"), which came into effect on October 1 this year, provide a strong legal guarantee for the construction and management of underground utility tunnels in our city. Currently, the city has built and put into operation 29.48 kilometers of utility tunnels, with a long-term plan to construct about 330 kilometers of trunk and branch utility tunnels.

　　[Current Status]

　　Existing utility tunnels are mainly in new urban areas; old urban areas need to "address shortcomings"

　　In recent years, Xiamen has continuously promoted the construction of underground utility tunnels. Currently, the city has built and put into operation 29.48 kilometers of trunk and branch utility tunnels and 110.45 kilometers of cable tunnels. Various municipal pipelines incorporated into the underground utility tunnels have a total length of over 450 kilometers. In the performance evaluation of underground utility tunnel pilots organized by the Ministry of Housing and Urban-Rural Development and the Ministry of Finance, our city has ranked first among pilot cities for two consecutive years.

　　Regionally, these completed utility tunnels are mainly distributed in new urban areas outside the island, such as Jimei New City and Xiang'an Southern New City. The problems in our city mainly exist in the old urban areas. The "road zipper" phenomenon continues in old urban areas, and "aerial spider webs" in streets and alleys seriously affect the city's appearance. Natural disasters such as typhoons and rainstorms cause frequent pipeline accidents and many safety hazards. Citizens have concentrated opinions and an even more urgent need for utility tunnels. Based on these circumstances, the "Measures" propose "special provisions for utility tunnels in old urban areas", requiring attention to the planning and construction of utility tunnels in old urban areas, adapting to local conditions, comprehensive planning, long-term perspective, coordinated arrangements, and gradually, orderly, and comprehensively advancing the construction of utility tunnels in old urban areas, ensuring the orderly progress of pipeline renovation and utility tunnel construction in old urban areas.

　　Wang Yanyan said that the setting of this chapter in the "Measures" is a national first, ensuring the advancement of comprehensive utility tunnels in old urban areas and reflecting our city's determination to comprehensively build utility tunnels.

　　[Requirements]

　　In areas with built utility tunnels, all pipelines must be incorporated into the tunnels

　　According to the relevant documents of the State Council, in 2017, Xiamen launched the citywide special planning adjustment for comprehensive utility tunnels, fully considering the systematic connection of comprehensive utility tunnels on the city's main "municipal corridors", enhancing the connection of utility tunnels between different areas, fully leveraging scale effects, and achieving a networked and contiguous citywide comprehensive utility tunnel system. Preliminary review has been completed, with a long-term plan to construct about 330 kilometers of comprehensive utility tunnels.

　　Wang Yanyan said that the primary purpose of utility tunnel construction is to ensure the safe operation of pipelines, and the first step is to incorporate pipelines into the tunnels.

　　In the "Measures", there are two levels of provisions for pipeline incorporation. First, at the planning level: "Various pipelines within the urban planning area shall in principle be laid in underground space"; "In areas with built utility tunnels, all pipelines specified in the special utility tunnel plan must be incorporated into the tunnels as required. For applications to build new pipelines outside utility tunnels, the planning administrative department shall not grant planning permission, the construction administrative department shall not grant construction permission, and the municipal and highway administrative departments shall not grant road excavation permission", etc. Second, at the construction level: "Within five years after pipeline completion, no approval shall be granted for excavating roads to build pipelines", eliminating road excavation behavior and ensuring pipeline incorporation into utility tunnels.