Construction work for the tunnel entrance has finally begun at the Ashibe Incline Shaft site in Iki. After weeding and surveying began on September 11, construction work to create a construction road continued from September 18 to the 26th.
The purpose of this construction is to create a "120m road" for construction vehicles to travel from the prefectural road to the planned mine entrance, and in this first phase of construction, 80m will be constructed from the prefectural road, with the remainder to be carried out in the second phase. This "120m road" will be 8m wide, and will be an "L" shaped downhill road with a 7 degree incline that makes a 90 degree turn to the left 35m from the entrance to the prefectural road.
At 9:00 a.m. on September 18th, the work began with the use of a backhoe to demolish the stone wall that had been built over decades to protect the fields as well as the windbreak, and then reassemble the stones to form a stone wall for the road leading down from the prefectural road. The work progressed smoothly, and by the final day, the 26th, the initial target of 60m had been exceeded, and the wall had been completed to 80m.
The weather was good, but the biggest factor was the joy everyone felt at finally being able to build a tunnel entrance and its work base on Iki, something they had been waiting for for 30 years. The second phase of construction is scheduled for spring next year, and a tunnel entrance will appear on Iki, following on from Karatsu 30 years ago and Tsushima 3 years ago.
[Photo] Construction began with the use of a backhoe to demolish the stone walls built on the terraced fields. They were reused for the new road slope.
[Photo] 50m from the mine entrance. The planned mine entrance is located on the land one level below, on the right side of the photo.
[Photo] Embankment work was carried out at the site, which is about 2 meters lower than the prefectural road, to allow construction vehicles to enter.
[Photo] The entrance to the construction road seen from the prefectural road. The stone wall protecting the road, which allows 10-ton trucks to pass through, has been reassembled.
