China is accelerating the development of its underground parking system in a bid to address the nation's growing traffic problems.

In Changsa, Hunan Province, construction has already began for two automated parking garages which are expected to help make parking easier in the area and ease traffic congestion.

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One of these high-tech garages is located in Duzhengjie Street, which has a depth of 40 meters - the deepest of its kind in China.

"I have to psychologically prepare myself if I want to drive my car there," shared Tong Di, a resident of Changsha.

Once completed, the 153-square-meter underground garage will provide enough space to park at least 176 vehicles, a major inroad in China efforts to establish an efficient underground parking system.

Most drivers will be able to park or collect their cars in less than 90 seconds, according to Wan Zhigang, general manager of Zhongdian Jiawang Intelligent Garage Co.

"Drivers only have to drive their vehicles into the entrance," Want explained. "No matter how the vehicles are parked, the system will adjust them."

"After getting a card from the terminal, the car will be sent down automatically to an available space," he added.

Underneath the first floor of the garage is 20 floors of parking space, which will mostly be reserved for large vehicles such as coaches that will be parked in a normal way.

Wan noted that with the garage's small surface area but huge capacity to accommodate vehicles, the facility would be able to help address the parking woes of residents and achieve China's goal of putting in place a more responsive underground parking system.

Among the major challenges confronted by the construction team was the densely packed buildings surrounding the project area.

"The nearest building is just five meters away, so we have to make sure the surrounding buildings are not affected, and also ensure construction safety," explained Peng Ying, a company manager.

"It's not easy to operate big machinery in such a limited space," Peng said. "The busy traffic here during the daytime also makes construction slow."

But despite these concerns, China is determined to put in place an underground parking system that will help decongest the streets and consequently, solve the nation's traffic woes.

Tagschina, China Underground Parking System