China Starts $11 Billion Three Gorges Channel Project to Ease Yangtze Bottleneck
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China has broken ground on a 77.2-billion-yuan ($11.4 billion) project to build a second shipping channel at the Three Gorges Dam, seeking to ease a severe bottleneck on the country’s busiest inland waterway.
Construction began Monday on a project that includes two main components: a new transit channel at the Three Gorges hub and an expansion of capacity at the downstream Gezhouba Dam. Designed for 10,000-ton shipping fleets, the project is intended to relieve congestion on the Yangtze River, a critical trade artery. Its static investment estimate exceeds the 72.7-billion-yuan cost projected for the Pinglu Canal, another major waterway project in southern China.
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- China broke ground on a 77.2-billion-yuan ($11.4B) second shipping channel at Three Gorges Dam to ease Yangtze River congestion.
- The project includes a new double-line lock and Gezhouba expansion, raising annual transit capacity to 336 million tons.
- Builders avoided underwater blasting and altered design to protect critically endangered Chinese sturgeon, adding 2 billion yuan to costs.
- Changjiang Design Group Co. Ltd.
- Changjiang Design Group Co. Ltd. was mentioned in relation to the Three Gorges Dam second shipping channel project. Niu Xinqiang, the former chairman of Changjiang Design Group, commented on cargo volume increases at the Three Gorges lock since its opening in 2003.
- China Three Gorges Corp.
- According to the article, China Three Gorges Corp. is the company behind the Three Gorges Dam. Its former chief engineer Zhang Chaoran noted that over 70% of bulk cargo on the Yangtze relies on the corridor. Deputy chief engineer Gao Peng said a design change to protect sturgeon added 2 billion yuan to the project cost.
- By around 2034 (expected)：
- The Gezhouba Dam expansion is expected to finish, with capacity rising to 360 million tons.
- Around 2035 (expected)：
- Construction of the new Three Gorges channel is expected to be completed, raising annual transit capacity to 336 million tons.
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