The rushing river and the sound of sirens, the long-awaited dream of sailing for many years, has finally reached a crucial step. On June 8, 2026, China's first major national landmark project during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel, officially started construction, and the golden waterway of the Yangtze River will undergo a new upgrade.

The engineering significance is profound

The launch of the construction of the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel is a major measure to implement General Secretary Xi Jinping's important instructions on promoting high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt. It is the largest comprehensive project on the Yangtze River trunk line that integrates water conservancy, shipping, and ecology after the Three Gorges Project.

On site construction boom

Green mountains and lush greenery, the Yangtze River surging. At 10 am, the groundbreaking ceremony for the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel was held as scheduled by the Taipingxi Wharf in Yichang City, Hubei Province. With the issuance of the construction order, there were bursts of applause and mechanical roar on site, and the sound echoed through the valley.

On the south side of the construction site, the Three Gorges Hub double line five level ship lock, which has been in operation for more than 20 years, is now one of the busiest inland ship locks in the world. The Three Gorges Project has improved the navigation conditions of the Yangtze River, driven the acceleration of the economy and industrial agglomeration along the river, and continuously increased the demand for shipping. In 2011, the freight volume passing through the gate exceeded 100 million tons, reaching the designed capacity 19 years ahead of schedule; By 2025, the comprehensive transportation volume of the Three Gorges Dam will reach 173 million tons, far exceeding the design standards, and the construction of new channels is urgently needed.

The total investment of the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel is about 77.208 billion yuan, and the project is divided into two major sections. Among them, the new channel of the Three Gorges Hub is located on the north side of the existing Three Gorges Ship Lock, and a new double track continuous five level ship lock is planned to be built. The total length of the route is about 6680 meters, with a construction period of 112 months, including a 12-month construction period; The Gezhouba Shipping Capacity Expansion Project will demolish the original No. 3 ship lock, build a new two-line single-stage ship lock, and widen the deep excavation of upstream and downstream navigation channels, with a construction period of 95 months.

After completion, it will be connected to the river and the sea

The project is designed according to the navigation standards for ships of ten thousand tons. After completion, the Three Gorges Hub will form a layout of four line ship locks with shiplifts, with a total throughput capacity of 336 million tons; The Gezhouba Hub will have four line ship locks with a total throughput capacity of 360 million tons. Keywords:Engineering Construction,Construction News,Engineering Information

The Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel has a grand scale and extremely high construction difficulty. After more than ten years of demonstration and planning, and decades of technological accumulation, it has the conditions for comprehensive construction. Liu Weiping, Chairman of Three Gorges Group, stated that the completion of the project will significantly improve shipping efficiency, assist in the construction of the Yangtze River comprehensive three-dimensional transportation corridor, promote the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt, serve the domestic and international dual circulation pattern, and implement the concept of ecological priority and green development.Editor/Gong Ziwei