The focus of the infrastructure project worth 77.2 billion yuan (about 11.4 billion USD), expected to last nearly a decade, is the construction of a series of large locks. These are giant structures also known as "water elevators" or "water stairs", integrated into the Three Gorges dam body to help ships overcome the height difference of the water flow.
After many years of feasibility research and design completion, this project has been included in China's 15th Five-Year Plan (2026-2030) and is considered an important link in Beijing's strategy to turn the Yangtze River - the longest river in Asia and with the Three Gorges Dam on the river - into a leading waterway transport route.
The groundbreaking ceremony held earlier this week marked a new step in China's efforts to strengthen connectivity between megacities, in the context of the world's second largest economy wanting to strengthen its domestic transportation network to maintain growth.
The project is considered the largest infrastructure project on the Yangtze River in decades, far exceeding the scale of projects implemented since the Three Gorges Dam was built in 1997 with the aim of flood control and power generation.
The urgency of the project stems from the increasing transportation demand, causing existing works put into use since 2003 to fall into a state of overload.
The Three Gorges Dam has significantly improved waterway traffic conditions on the Yangtze River, promoting the formation of industrial clusters along the approximately 6,300km long river route.
Transport volume between major economic centers is constantly increasing, from Chongqing in the southwest, through Wuhan in the central region, to Nanjing and Shanghai in the Yangtze River Delta region, where the river flows into the East China Sea.
The volume of goods passing through the Tam Hiep dam wharf system has exceeded the designed capacity of 100 million tons/year since 2011. By 2025, the volume of goods passing through the Tam Hiep dam reached 173 million tons per year.
The technical core of this super project is a new channel line with a 2-way shelter system in the form of a 5-level "water staircase", with a length of 6,680m. The project also includes the expansion of upstream and downstream channels, along with many other auxiliary works.
When completed, ships with a tonnage of about 10,000 tons - considered a very large river vessel group - will be able to pass through the Three Gorges Dam faster. Annual transport capacity is expected to increase to 336 million tons, nearly double the current capacity, while helping to further reduce logistics costs.
The technical challenge of the project is shown through the construction time lasting up to 112 months, equivalent to about 9.3 years.
Mr. Liu Weiping - Chairman of the Chinese Three Gorges Group, the operator of the Three Gorges Dam and who will also manage the new lock system - said that the economic benefits of the project will go far beyond the transportation sector.
The project will significantly improve the effectiveness of implementing the Yangtze River Economic Ring Development Strategy and support the domestic economic circulation process," he said.
