Wuhan's Shanhaiguan Road undergoes transformation

When it comes to the breakfast culture in Wuhan, Hubei province, the authentic "old street of breakfast restaurants" on Shanhaiguan Road is indispensable.

This road, upgraded by China Communications Construction Company's Second Harbor Engineering Company, has repeatedly made it onto the "must-visit lists" of various cultural and culinary tourism hotspots.

At the beginning of 2024, with recommendations from social media bloggers, this "treasure trove gourmet street" gradually became known to out-of-town tourists, and related videos have garnered over tens of millions of views online.

Every holiday, Shanhaiguan Road welcomes a large number of food lovers. Restaurants of classic Wuhan-style delicacies, such as glutinous rice buns, fried dough sticks, meat and rice pancake, stewed soup and beef noodles all have long lines stretching out in front of them. On this street of less than 500 meters, daily footfall exceeds tens of thousands of people, which means buying breakfast requires waiting in line for over an hour.

In order to provide a better experience for tourists, before this year's National Day holiday on October 1, the builders of the Second Harbor Engineering Company completed the transformation and upgrade of the road.

During the construction process, the builders faced many challenges, such as densely distributed underground pipelines, damaged road surfaces, a large flow of people, and under-protected buildings.

To tackle the challenges, the project team established a specialized team and collaborated with the design institute to tailor road, drainage, transportation, landscaping, lighting, power distribution, telecommunications, water supply, and gas professional design solutions based on the actual conditions of Shanhaiguan Road, in a bid to minimize the impact on nearby residents and businesses.

After the renovation, Shanhaiguan Road has enhanced humanized and reasonable spatial scales for pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles, widening sidewalks and bike lanes. It incorporates street food elements into paving, landscape features, and urban furniture design.

The completely transformed Shanhaiguan Road now accommodates more tourists and residents, carrying the enduring flavors of Wuhan, showcasing regional advantages and historical cultural heritage, and promoting local cultural tourism.