The Chengdu-Mianyang-Cangxi-Bazhong Expressway, constructed by China Railway 23rd Bureau Group Co., Ltd., has been completed and opened to traffic. This section is an important part of the Beijing-Kunming Corridor (Vertical Line 8) of the national “Ten Vertical and Ten Horizontal” comprehensive transportation corridors. The route connects Mianyang, Jian’ge, Cangxi, Bazhong and other places, and is a key interprovincial expressway corridor for northeastern Sichuan to exit Sichuan, enter Shaanxi and reach Beijing.
It is reported that the Chengdu-Mianyang-Cangxi-Bazhong Expressway is a key transportation project linking the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the Sichuan-Shaanxi old revolutionary base area. Since the project opened to traffic, it has greatly shortened the spatial and temporal distance between cities and counties along the route in northeastern Sichuan, effectively diverted traffic from regional national and provincial trunk roads, removed transportation bottlenecks in the mountainous areas of northern Sichuan, strengthened transport corridors for connectivity within and outside Sichuan, and optimized the layout of the expressway network in southwestern China. It has important livelihood and strategic significance for promoting the coordinated development of the Chengdu Plain and the northeastern Sichuan economic zone, reducing the logistics costs of transporting specialty agricultural products, consolidating the foundation for the revitalization and development of old revolutionary base areas, activating cultural tourism, agriculture and forestry industries along the route, and supporting high-quality development in northern Sichuan.
As the main contractor, the project team, based on the construction characteristics of the complex mountainous terrain in northern Sichuan, shouldered the construction responsibility throughout the process and fully advanced the construction of subgrade, bridges and tunnels, traffic safety facilities, electromechanical systems, and supporting facilities for toll stations and service areas along the entire line.
The construction of the Chengdu-Mianyang-Cangxi-Bazhong Expressway faced multiple challenges, including complex geological conditions, a high proportion of bridges and tunnels, many tunnels with low or trace gas, strict ecological and environmental protection requirements, limited work sites, and multiple construction processes carried out in parallel. The project team adhered to the principles of “safety first, prevention first, precision construction,” refined construction procedure control throughout the whole process, and adopted a simultaneous construction model with multiple work faces for long tunnels and high-pier, long-span bridges to accelerate the schedule. In line with ecological protection requirements along the route, it conducted on-site studies to optimize the alignment and construction plans, proactively avoiding nature reserves, traditional villages and ancient and famous trees. While ensuring driving safety and protecting the ecological environment, it improved project quality and also reduced costs and increased efficiency for subsequent road operation and maintenance. Throughout the construction process, safety and quality standards were strictly controlled, procedure self-inspections and hazard investigations were implemented item by item, and technical means such as smart construction sites and intelligent gas monitoring were used to build a solid safety defense line. Various construction operations were advanced efficiently and prudently, and all construction tasks were completed on schedule. Since the Chengdu-Mianyang-Cangxi-Bazhong Expressway was put into use, the traffic efficiency of the regional road network has improved significantly, and the flow of factors related to agriculture, tourism and industry along the route has become smoother.
Next, China Railway 23rd Bureau Group will continue to give full play to its professional construction advantages in expressway construction, summarize its mature experience in expressway construction in the complex environment of the northern Sichuan mountains, deepen its presence in the transportation infrastructure construction market in southwestern China, and continue to improve the regional transportation network with high-quality projects, continuously contributing the strength of China Railway Construction to the revitalization of old revolutionary base areas and the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle.