Fears of traffic jam after closure of Yan'an tunnel prove unfounded

A police officer directs traffic near the Pudong entrance of the Renmin Road Tunnel yesterday, the first working day after the closure of a section of the Yan'an Road E. Tunnel, one of the city's busiest tunnel under Huangpu River. (Photo: Shanghai Daily/Wang Rongjiang)

The anticipated traffic congestion on the first working day after the closure of a section of the Yan'an Road E. Tunnel did not happen yesterday with locals working out alternative routes and police managing the roads.

Traffic from Pudong to Puxi on Yan'an Road E. Tunnel has been closed for repairs since Friday night, but the Puxi-to-Pudong section remains open.

Renmin Road Tunnel, which is just 600 meters away from the Yan'an Road tunnel, was the preferred choice of many with police saying the number of vehicles rose by over 50 percent during rush hours but did not inconvenience commuters. Drivers from Pudong were told to use other routes including Fuxing and Xinjian road tunnels, as well as the Nanpu Bridge to cross the Huangpu River during the renovations which are expected to last for 10 months.