cut mountains

The tunnels have saved us from surroundings to mountains and rock surfaces for decades. However, it is not the only technique to shorten time and develop new roads that connect cities with each other. In this aspect, it is worth telling how China once again demonstrates its ability to transform the landscape with a technique that seems taken from a science fiction film: literally cut mountains To build roads. Explosives, giant excavators and a millimeter planning is necessary to divide rock formations of hundreds of meters high.

How the technique works. After A geological study Exhaustive to determine the composition of the mountain and plan the cuts so that they do not compromise the stability of the land, engineers use controlled explosives to create the first fractures, followed by specialized heavy machinery that can excavate tens of meters deep per day.

The remaining walls are stabilized with metal meshes, projected concrete and drainage systems to avoid landslides. The final result is A clean step through the mountainwith vertical walls up to 200 meters high that seems that someone with a giant knife has crossed them.

A technique in multiple regions of China. These ‘cut walls’ can be seen mainly in The mountainous provinces of GuizhouYunnan and Sichuan, where the karst terrain and the complicated rock formations made the construction of traditional tunnels impracticable. Projects as prominent as the Guiyang-Qianxi highway or the Taihang mountain pass have turned hours of hours into minutes. It has also been used in the construction of the High Speed Railroad that connects Beijing with Guangzhou, where several sections go through literally games in half.

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Why not tunnels are used. The decision to cut instead of drilling usually comes Due to technical criteria and specific economics. In land with high concentration of groundwater or unstable rock formations, building tunnels can be more expensive and risky than direct cut.

In addition, the maintenance of an open step is considerably simpler than that of a tunnel, which requires constant ventilation, lighting and drainage systems. In low -rise mountains, the cut also allows the greater proliferation of heavy vehicles, especially in an economy that depends so much on the transport of road goods.

Beyond China. Although China has perfected and popularized this technique, it is not the only country that uses it. Norway uses similar methods in its fjords, where the characteristics of the land make the cut more viable than drilling (although in this country we also have spectacular projects of tunnels under construction such as Rogfast). In the United States, Cumberland Gap’s pass in the Apalaches was created by cutting techniques, although on a smaller scale. However, no country matches the ambition and scale of Chinese projects, which have become an art the mountain cut.

Environmental impact. Although the benefits of using this technique are evident, especially in the aspect of econic development and its effectiveness to connect remote regions, this technique also generates a certain debate around environmental impact.

And it is that this type of constructions can end up destroying local ecosystems, altering natural drainage patterns or fragmenting wildlife habitats, not to mention the amount of dust and noise during its construction that can generate millions of tons in waste. It can also be said that it is not the most used technique, since the tunnels remain the preference except exceptional cases.

Cover image | Zhang Meifang and R/Damnthatsintending

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