The hole-through (aka breakthrough) of the ongoing pedestrian tunnel project under Guia Hill has been completed, the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) said in a statement yesterday.
A government project to build a tunnel for pedestrians under the hill connecting Zape and the Avenida de Horta e Costa neighbourhood got off the ground in December last year.
The entrance to the Guia Hill pedestrian tunnel on the Zape side will be located near the Caltex petrol station in Avenida do Dr Rodrigo Rodrigues, while its entrance on the other side of the hill will be located in Flora Garden.
Yesterday’s statement pointed out that after the pedestrian tunnel is completed, the walking distance between the two sides will be shortened to about 400 metres from the current 1,100 metres.
Yesterday’s statement said that the excavation of the pedestrian tunnel project has been going smoothly, adding that the tunnel hole-through has recently been completed.
The statement noted that the whole project, officially known as Walking System Surrounding Guia Hill, also includes two footbridges across Avenida do Dr Rodrigo Rodrigues, one from the tunnel’s entrance to Rua de Malaca and the other to near an undeveloped plot between the Jai Alai casino-hotel complex and Casa Real Hotel.
The statement said that the foundation work of the two footbridges is being carried out.
The statement also pointed out that a travellator (aka moving walkway) will be installed in the pedestrian tunnel. In addition, lifts will be set up inside the tunnel connecting to the main walking and running trail on Guia Hill – officially known as Estrada do Engenheiro Trigo.
The two-lane vehicular tunnel under Guia Hill has been in use since 1990.
The building contractor is required to complete the Walking System Surrounding Guia Hill project within 565 days after it was started.
According to Wikipedia, a hole-through is the time during the construction of a tunnel built from both ends when the ends meet.
The two undated handout photos released by the Lands, Public Works and Transport Bureau (DSSOPT) yesterday show the ongoing Guia Hill pedestrian tunnel project, the hole-through of which has now been completed.
