The first 180-m curved tube along the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge underwater tunnel, E31 was installed by China Communications Construction Co Ltd (CCCC) after 26 hours of field operations on Dec 25.

E31 tube en route to installation

According to an executive of the CCCC Bridge-Tunnel Project Department, E31 is the largest curved immersed tube worldwide. With its installation, 90 percent of the tunnel tube mileage, totaling 5,301 m, has been completed.

Workers in field operation

E31, composed of eight sections, is the third curved tube installed westward of the HZM bridge-tunnel project.

E31 and E32 immersed tubes precisely connected [Photos courtesy Zhuhai Daily]