On February 25, the China Construction Industry Association announced the list of winners of the first batch of the 2020–2021 China Construction Engineering Luban Prize (National Quality Engineering), and the Wuhan Rail Transit Line 8 Phase I Project made the list!

The Wuhan Rail Transit Line 8 Phase I Project is an important trunk line of the Wuhan rail transit system. The project starts at Sanjintan in Hankou, passes beneath the Yangtze River, and ends at Liyuan in East Lake. The line is 16.7 kilometers long, fully underground, and has 12 stations.

Project Features and Difficulties

1. A north-south trunk line connecting the three towns

The project runs north-south through the urban area of Wuhan, connects the two banks of the Yangtze River, and links five major urban functional zones, promoting the economic and social development of the four banks of the two rivers in Wuhan.

2. Tunneling beneath the Yangtze River and crossing a natural barrier

The river-crossing tunnel is the first in Wuhan to adopt a single-tube, double-track design.

3. Long-term design setting a benchmark

The river-crossing tunnel is the first shield tunnel in China with a full-length double-layer lining and a large-diameter metro tunnel.

Xujiapeng Station is the first underground station in China with a floor height of more than 12 meters; its high clearance and large atrium design greatly enhance the spatial effect of the station.

Xudong Station and Wangjiadun Station are integrated into one, forming the largest and longest underground metro commercial street in Central China and setting a model for "metro + property" development.

4. A dynamic metro showcasing culture

Through artistic optimization, the station decoration embodies the overall concept of "tracing the source along the flow, a dynamic metro," displaying local characteristics and highlighting regional culture.

5. Interwoven risks safely overcome

During construction, the project crossed the shallow cover riverbed of the Yangtze River, passed over long distances beneath shantytowns and the provincial cultural relic building of the former site of the New Fourth Army, and passed beneath the Wuhan-Jiujiang Railway and the friction pile foundations of the Rail Transit Line 1 bridge. The safety risks were extremely high, and the construction team responded scientifically and averted danger.

Application of New Technologies and Technical Innovation

During construction, 10 major categories and 29 sub-items of the 10 new technologies in the construction industry were promoted and applied; 7 provincial and ministerial-level construction methods were innovated; 15 patents and 2 provincial and ministerial-level science and technology awards were obtained.

1. For the first time in a domestic metro crossing beneath the Yangtze River, an extra-large-diameter single-tube double-track shield tunnel was adopted.

2. For the first time, a new double-layer lining technology was adopted in a shield tunnel.

3. For the first time, the technology of interchangeable atmospheric disc cutters and toothed cutters was adopted.

4. Synchronous rapid construction technology for the internal structure of a single-tube double-track shield tunnel.

5. For the first time, the technology of anti-slide piles also serving as retaining piles was adopted.

6. For the first time, self-developed 3D printing building technology was adopted, meeting the individualized needs of station decoration design and construction.

Comprehensive Benefits and Awards

The Line 8 Phase I Project is an important passenger transport corridor across the Yangtze River in Wuhan. It alleviates the pressure of cross-river traffic in the urban area, greatly improves travel conditions for residents in the central urban area, and plays an important supporting role in Wuhan's urban development, construction, and balanced development.

The project won the China Railway Construction Corporation Excellent Design Award, the Hubei Provincial Quality Construction Structure Award, the Hubei Provincial Municipal Engineering Gold Award, and the China Railway Construction Cup.