A Mammoth Cave Road Under Construction in Heart of Tokyo

Tokyo is undergoing right now an ambitious reconstruction eyeing the year of the Tokyo Olympics -2020. Stroll in the streets of Otemachi and Marunouchi, and you'll be amazed by rapid changes in taking place there. But, don't be, unless you see what's going on underneath the ground.

Underground Otemachi, Marunouchi and Yurakucho already runs a network of 3500 meters of Kodo or cave road serving a total area of 6.4 million square meters - the size of 10 Tokyo Domes put together. The latest became operative in April 2016 linking JFE Shoji and Nihon Bldg.

Now, an additional mammoth Kodo is being drilled underground in the deep of night when the whole town is dead asleep - a huge tunnel 3 meters in diameter eventually to stretch over 242 meters underground along the Marunouchi Naka Dori.

There is a maze of infra structures along the passage of the new Kodo, not to mention subways and similar underground pathways. The contractors, Taisei Corp. employs a full-size shield machine to dig a 3-meter-in-diameter tunnel bypassing the existing pipes and subways, at a pace of 1.5 meters a day. They admit the construction project is the toughest one ever.

Once completed, the cave road is expected to efficiently link major points in the Marunouchi area, providing an energy-sharing underground network. Taisei Corp. plans to employ a modern plant fully equipped with the so-called co-generation system to supply gas-generated power - to help improve the functions of the BCP (Basic Continuity Plan) of the entire area.

The city of Tokyo has similar redevelopment projects going in other areas - Yaesu, Kyobashi, Shimbashi, Toranomon, etc. The city's skylines are fast changing and its functions, overhead and underground alike, are rapidly improving to help boost the city's competitiveness and habitability.

Source: Nikkei