Engineers
and technicians working on the Shenzhen-Maoming Railway, an important transport
link between the two coastal cities in Guangdong province, have finished
construction of a fully enclosed noise barrier on a section running through an
ecological scenic site.
The 2,036-meter arched steel structure, with sound insulation
and concrete acoustic boards, is just 800 meters from Birds' Paradise, a scenic
and ecological attraction in Jiangmen, Guangdong.
The attraction, which is
covered by 400-year-old banyan trees, is home to more than 30,000 birds of over
40 varieties.
The paradise became a
popular site after celebrated Chinese writer Ba Jin penned The Birds' Paradise
after he took in the lush scenery of the tree-covered island in the early
1930s.
The noise barrier cost 180
million yuan ($27.5 million), according to Fifth Construction Ltd of China
Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group.
It was the first of its
kind in high-speed railway construction using technology for a fully enclosed
sound barrier, it said.
Construction was not
allowed between March and July, which is often a breeding period for birds on
the island, the builder said.
"The fully enclosed
sound barrier will help reduce about 30 percent of traffic noise, a safe
standard for the living and breeding environment of the birds," said Mo
Yongchun, a manager with China Tiesiju Civil Engineering Group.
The 390-kilometer
Shenzhen-Maoming Railway, which is designed for train speeds up to 200
kilometers per hour, is scheduled to open in mid-2018.
According to Mo, the noise
will be 76.5 decibels at a distance of 3.5 meters from the railway when a train
passes - about the same as a car.
"It will be below 50
decibels at the Birds' Paradise," said Liu Zhenbiao, assistant chief
engineer of the Bridge Design and Research Department of the China Railway
Siyuan Survey and Design Group. That is about as loud as a normal conversation.
"The noise will pose
no threat to the living conditions of birds," he said.
According to Liu, the
barrier is designed to stand up to the high winds of a typhoon.
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