Abstract:The tunnel project of the main road in the soft soil foundation area of Jiangsu and Zhejiang will encounter the problem of existing bridges in nearby rivers. The solutions to the conflict between a tunnel and an existing bridge pile foundation are discussed in detail. The project faces the multiple challenges, including the high requirements of traffic maintenance, the need to utilize the existing qualified bridges, and the reduction of surrounding influence. Four schemes are studied and demonstrated that is the detour of the tunnel in sections, the demolition of part of the old bridge to achieve the co-construction of the bridge and tunnel, the passage of the tunnel in sections through the bridge, and the demolition of the bridge to rebuild the box culvert. Through comprehensive comparison, the scheme of demolishing part of the old bridge to achieve bridge-tunnel co-construction is recommended due to its advantages such as less impact on the surrounding area, the ability to retain the bridge span for traffic maintenance, and moderate cost. In this scheme, the newly built bridge piers are set up on the tunnel roof to form a composite structure of “bridge above and tunnel below”. The settlement is controlled by combining pile foundation and subgrade reinforcement. When building tunnels under existing bridges, the bridge-tunnel co-construction model can efficiently integrate the functions of traffic, flood discharge and underground space, and has important reference value for the implementation of tunnel projects under existing bridges.