March 24th: Precise surveying and shoring work in preparation for the installation of the entrance to the Ashibe Inclined Shaft in Iki.
On March 17th, 19 people from the Tama area of Tokyo inspected the Nagoya Inclined Shaft in Karatsu. They went to the end of the 540m tunnel and touched it with their hands. Secretary-General Yanai, who led the group, said, "There is a lot of history related to Korea and Japan in the Kanto region, but coming to the Japan-Korea Tunnel site in Karatsu made me realize even more strongly how deep the relationship between Korea and Japan is."
"I felt that Japan and Korea have an inseparable history, and I felt that the tunnel project must be realized," he said. "If we can narrow the external distance between Japan and Korea and further connect them, the distance between our hearts will narrow. A tunnel is the only way to improve Japan-Korea relations," he said enthusiastically.
Additionally, over two days on March 24th and 25th, three engineers from International Highways carried out precise surveying and staking work in preparation for the installation of the tunnel entrance, scheduled for next year. Stakes were driven into the ground around the planned entrance site to indicate its location, allowing a concrete image of the tunnel's center, both ends, top, and bottom. The Ashibe Inclined Shaft, located on the east coast of Iki, is located on a limited site with a city road on the right and the sea on the left, but it is a work shaft for digging the main shaft and will play an important role in draining water for the tunnel heading towards Tsushima.
Work on the remaining one-third of the access road for construction vehicles, which began in September last year, will be completed in late April. Once the access road to the tunnel entrance is complete, the next step will be to install the tunnel entrances, and with entrances now complete at three locations in Karatsu, Iki, and Tsushima, the Japan-Korea Tunnel Project is approaching a historic day.
[Photo] Impressed by the progress of the highway project, we are determined to intensify our activities in Tokyo
[Photo] Planned site for the tunnel entrance. The person on the left is in the center of the 6m diameter tunnel, and the red stake is on the line at the right edge.
This second level, facing the sea at the back of the front, is the top of the tunnel, and the third level, 6m below on the left of the photo, is the bottom of the tunnel.
[Photo] The entrance to the inclined shaft is in the center of the photo. There is a city road above where buses pass, and the winch will be installed nearby.
The ground in the foreground is the access road for construction vehicles, which was developed last fall. Construction is scheduled to begin in late April next month.
