Abstract: The river channel process of the bifurcating section of a shoal head plays a vital role in river regime control and stability, and this issue has been a widespread concern in the water conservancy and water transport engineering. The object of the analysis, the bifurcating section of the shoal head of the Xinshengzhou, situated at the Yangtze River reach adjoining Jiangsu and Anhui Provinces, is the gateway to Nanjing reach of the Yangtze River. In this study, the river channel process characteristics of the bifurcating section of the shoal head of the lower Xinshengzhou and the Xiaohuangzhou bifurcating channel are analyzed to reveal the inherent relations between the two upper and lower two inlet's diversion ratios, and between the scour and siltation along the shoal head, and to demonstrate the importance in controlling the evolution characteristics and hydrodynamic changes of the shoal head and the main or branch channels. Analysis results show that regulation measures should be taken for controlling the significant effects of the shoal head on the hydrodynamic conditions and the river channel process of the adjacent branches. Considering the new water-sediment conditions, river regime changes and stability due to the operation of the Three Gorges project, the regulation measures for the Xinshengzhou shoal head should be as follows: the training walls and groynes which have the reasonable lengths, directions and heights must be placed in front of the shoal head to control the flow regime, and the local dredging should be carried out on the right side and the shoal ridge of the Xiaohuangzhou shoal in order to avoid persistent erosion. Meanwhile, the other protection works must be constructed on the riverbed and along the riverbank. These research results can provide a useful reference for the comprehensive regulation of the river reach.