On June 27th, a site office was set up at the Ashibe Inclined Shaft site in Iki, and an opening ceremony was held.
The Ashibe site will be a relay site connecting Karatsu and Tsushima. Located on the east coast of the island, it is a work tunnel used for surveying and excavating the main tunnel, which will run north along the east coast of the island, and is an important location that will also be the frontline for maintenance and inspection once the tunnel is completed.
The land for the tunnel was acquired early on. All that was left to do was prepare a road for large vehicles and carry out precise surveying for the construction of the tunnel portal, followed by full-scale tunnel excavation work. However, with the site office now set up, the next step is finally construction of the portal. Thanks to the generosity of local tunnel supporters, and the addition of reserve funds up to now, this project has been brought forward and made possible.
The ceremony began at 10am on this bright summer day, with greetings from the Highway Foundation's advisor and a progress report from Director Seihachi Matsumura, followed by a letter of appreciation from Foundation Chairman Masayoshi Kajikuri. Supporters of the island also came along, and at the end of the ceremony everyone brought in desks to work up a sweat and celebrated with three cheers in hopes of an early start to construction. The site, which has a private beach, is fully equipped with electricity, running water and toilets, and is so well-equipped that it looks like it could be used as a campsite right away.
[Photo 1] A site office has been set up at the Iki Ashibe Inclined Shaft site. Next up is the construction of the shaft entrance in the grassy area in the foreground!
[Photo 2] The office, built ahead of schedule, signals the start of full-scale construction.
