An aerial view of the "sound insulating
tunnel"
Construction of a "sound insulating tunnel" on an elevated
freeway near the Beijing Zoo was completed on Sunday. The tunnel
will prevent animals in the zoo from being disturbed by traffic
noise emanating from the nearby freeway.
The dome of the sound-proof wall stretches for nearly one
kilometer. This section of the freeway is the first road of its
kind in Beijing. The dome design uses closed sound insulating
material so that people and animals located outside the tunnel
can't hear the sound generated by moving vehicles inside.
The 1.8 km elevated freeway is expected to alleviate traffic
pressure in Xizhimen, a major hub of communications in the
northwest city environs. This stretch of the road is expected to
open to traffic by the year's end.
Open-air habitats accommodating monkeys and bears in the zoo
have been relocated to make room for the freeway.
(China.org.cn November 12, 2007)
