Chinese Society and Infrastructure

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

Newly opened Tibet Grand Theater in Lhasa is gearing up for the first performance

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

Newly opened Tibet Grand Theater in Lhasa is gearing up for the first performance

AViet · Dec 31, 2023

The connecting railway, from Dongxing to Hanoi, via Mong Cai, Ha Long and Hai Phong, could be built after 2030.

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

The biggest and most difficult mega project China ever taken, drilling through Tianshan mountains with the longest tunnel in the world

The biggest and most difficult mega project China has ever taken, drilling through Tianshan mountains, northern Xinjiang and southern Xinjiang will be connected by the real sense top quality high way for the first time.

It's believed to be the biggest and most difficult project China has ever taken, on route ,several world longest tunnels and bridges had been built. Tianshan Shengli Tunnel has a total length of about 22.1 kilometers. It is the world's largest expressway tunnel under construction. It is also a typical extra-long, alpine, and high-altitude road tunnel in the expressway.

The high way cuts through 16 major faultlines and is considered geologically the most precarious region in the world, a true engineering marvel in the whole human history once completed. Now over 70% of the project had been finished and will open in operation 4 years ahead of the schedule in 2025.

Xinjiang is being geographically divided into northern Xinjiang and southern Xinjiang by the Mighty Tianshan mountain chain. Once this high way is completed, this natural barrier will be once and for all overcome.

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

China’s Xinjiang building world’s longest highway tunnel in play for regional connectivity

Xinjiang region to complete extensive highway tunnel by 2025, part of a project cementing linkages within its borders as well as with Central Asia
Region has defied Western sanctions and reported record trade, in part due to borders with eight countries

Published: 10:00am, 1 Dec, 2023

22.1 Kilometers, The Tianshan Shengli highway tunnel, now under construction, will be the world’s longest and enhance connectivity between China and Central Asia. Photo: Weibo
Economy China Economy

China is building, by present standards, the world’s longest highway tunnel – a project that will traverse one of the planet’s longest mountain ranges and open new pathways for exchanges between the country’s Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region and Central Asia, which experts said is an increasingly decisive area for foreign trade.

A crucial section of the Urumqi-Yuli Expressway, the Tianshan Shengli tunnel will serve as a pivotal transport link between the southern and northern halves of the region, state media said.

When opened to traffic by the end of October 2025, it will cut travel time through the Tianshan Mountains to about 20 minutes, and the journey from capital Urumqi to Korla, the region’s two most populous cities, will be shortened from more than seven hours to about three hours.

The tunnel, which is expected to span a total length of 22.1km (13.7 miles) when finished, is the longest currently under construction.

“Completion will certainly benefit trade and economic growth in the underdeveloped part of Xinjiang,” said Xu Tianchen, an economist with The Economist Intelligence Unit.

As China builds closer diplomatic and economic ties with Central Asia, the region will be an increasingly important fulcrum as both a final market and a transit point, Xu added, with more infrastructure development likely in the works to boost connectivity, including the construction of the China-Kyrgyzstan-Uzbekistan railway.

“The repackaged [Belt and Road Initiative] places a greater emphasis on operating risk and investment returns. In that sense, Central Asia provides a reasonable return-risk mix, especially with its rich energy reserves and acceptable security situation,” Xu said.

Xinjiang has become a geopolitical sore spot between China and Western countries, as the US and European Union have separately levied sanctions and export controls on the region following accusations of human rights abuses, spying and support of Russia’s war in Ukraine – all of which Beijing has denied.

But those measures were defied in the first 10 months of the year, as the region’s foreign trade hit a record high of 287 billion yuan (US$40.5 billion) according to Urumqi customs, up nearly 50 per cent from a year earlier and surpassing the cumulative total for 2022 by September.

The new pathway could diversify trade methods and even extend to further cultural and tourism exchanges

Peng Peng, Guangdong Society of Reform

China has also attempted to leverage Xinjiang’s particular geographical advantages – notably its shared border with eight countries, including Russia, Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Pakistan, all of which are core to China’s Belt and Road Initiative.

Enhanced transport networks would strengthen Xinjiang’s broader infrastructure links with Central Asia, said Peng Peng, executive chairman of the Guangdong Society of Reform, a think tank connected to the provincial government.

“There are already numerous channels for railways, highways and aviation, while cultural exchanges such as group tourism and self-guided travel are relatively scarce. The new pathway could diversify trade methods and even extend to further cultural and tourism exchanges,” Peng said.

Xinjiang also unveiled plans for a new free-trade hub earlier this month, a demonstration of Beijing’s ambitions to scale up its economic influence.

A pilot scheme will be employed in three parts of the region – Kashgar, Khorgos and Urumqi – and it could be up to five years before Xinjiang officially becomes a free-trade zone, according to a notice posted on the website of the State Council, China’s cabinet.

World’s longest tunnel under way in Xinjiang as China seeks to boost ties

A highway tunnel under construction in China’s Xinjiang region is expected to be the world’s longest, and serve as a symbol of stronger ties with Central Asia.

www.scmp.com

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

22.1 Kilometers, Drilling the world longest highway tunnel through The Tianshan Mountains

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

Xinjiang Wuwei Highway runs through the north and south of Tianshan Mountains
Seetao 2021-08-18 10:32

The completion of the project will play an important role in the future development of the port opening to the west in Xinjiang

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The Xinjiang Wuwei Highway PPP project is a strategic project that carries an important mission of the country. It crosses the Tianshan Mountains and across the desert. As an important transportation trunk linking the north and south of Xinjiang, it has five sub-projects, large in scale, wide in distribution, and high in difficulty. After completion, it will benefit the economic, trade and cultural ties between countries in Europe and Asia, and provide an opportunity for Xinjiang to open up to the west.

The Wuwei Highway PPP project is located in the "Core Area of the Silk Road Economic Belt", an important transportation artery connecting Xinjiang across Tianshan Mountains to the north and south. It consists of five sub-projects: Urumqi to Yuli, Yuli to 35th Regiment, and 35th Regiment to Ruoqiang Highway , Itunbulak to Ruoqiang highway, Yuli to Qiemo highway, the total length of the line is 1305 kilometers, the investment is about 76 billion yuan, and the construction period ranges from 4 to 6 years. It is currently the largest PPP project under construction in China.

Tianshan Shengli Tunnel under construction

Beijingwalker · Dec 31, 2023

Difficult construction technology and harsh construction environment
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel, which is the controlling project of the project, is located in a high-cold and high-altitude area. There are faults such as fracture zone, rock burst, large deformation, freezing damage, fissure water and salivary water. The project has more than 500 kilometers across the desert, and conventional construction methods cannot To meet the needs of aeolian sand roadbed, construction organization and technical difficulties are high; the five sub-projects of the project all have saline soil, and the roadbed quality control is difficult; the project passes through earthquake-prone areas such as the Tianshan earthquake zone, and the project passes through the Gobi desert at many places along the project. No man's land such as deserts and deserts.

High ecological and environmental protection requirements
The Tianshan Shengli Tunnel is close to Tianshan No. 1 Glacier and Urumqi Water Source Reserve, with high environmental protection requirements; along the project, it has passed through Lop Nur, Wild Camel Reserve, Populus euphratica forest, public welfare forest and other tourism and nature reserves for many times, and the requirements for animal and plant protection are high.

In order to overcome the construction difficulties caused by extreme natural conditions, the project has strengthened safety management and actively innovated.

The construction of the Tianshan Shengli Tunnel adopts the "three-hole + four-shaft" construction scheme, among which the service tunnel adopts the TBM construction method, which is the first application of the domestic highway tunnel.

Aerial view of the exit of Tianshan Shengli Tunnel

TBM roadheader construction drawing
The double main tunnels of the tunnel are constructed by drilling and blasting. Through the advanced advantages of the service tunnel TBM, the auxiliary working face of the main tunnel is opened at each crosswalk to realize the ultra-short drilling of long tunnels. This technology is the first application in domestic tunnels.

On the morning of August 17, with a loud blasting noise, the last rock wall of the tunnel face was immediately transparent, firecrackers blew, and the crowd cheered. The control project of the Qiang Highway-Bashkorgan No. 2 Tunnel was successfully completed. At this point, the various construction points of the Itunbulak to Ruoqiang highway have been fully connected, which has created conditions for further speeding up the smooth completion of the project and opening to traffic.

The main route of the Itunbulak-Ruoqiang Highway is located in Ruoqiang County, Xinjiang Autonomous Region, passing through the two “no man’s areas” of Lop Nur and Altun Mountain. It is an important transportation channel from Xinjiang to Qinghai and the inland, with a total length of 295.44 kilometers. Among them, the Bashkorgan No. 2 tunnel is 4736 meters in length. It is a high-cold and high-altitude super-long highway tunnel. It is difficult to transport, and the surrounding rock geological conditions are complex, joints and fissures are developed, the project is extremely difficult, the construction risk is great, and the environmental protection pressure is very high. Prominence is the hardest "hard bone" on the Itunbulak to Ruoqiang highway.

Facing the difficulty of entering the site, poor transportation conditions, difficult construction organization, high cold and high altitude, etc., the project headquarters built the headquarters on the front line of construction and planted the party flag on the ridge of 3,500 meters above sea level to lead the party members and cadres. Employees continue to fight in a difficult environment. All project employees strictly implement standardized and standardized management, optimize construction design plans and construction procedures based on theoretical calculation results and on-site measured data, fight against the sky and the ground, and overcome one difficulty after another. Ensure the successful completion of the tunnel with "zero accidents" and "zero casualties".

During the tunnel construction and excavation, the project team found 1 broken zone and 3 crack development areas.

The employees immediately organized a full geological analysis of the entire tunnel section to form an advanced geological forecast, which provided a lot of data for the subsequent improvement of the construction plan Support, and timely summarize the tunnel construction technology applicable to the fracture zone during the construction process, not only provide technical reference and reference for other tunnel projects at home and abroad, but also for the subsequent construction of the tunnel in the harsh environment of "no man's land" by China Communications Construction Provide a lot of theoretical basis and practical experience.

After the opening of the Itunbulak to Ruoqiang highway project, it provides an opportunity for Xinjiang to open to the west, which will further accelerate the economic and cultural development of Xinjiang, promote the integration of the people of all ethnic groups in Xinjiang with the inland, and radiate the development of various regions and ports along the route. . At the same time, its completion is of great significance for further improving Xinjiang's transportation network, advancing the construction of the One Belt One Road, and promoting the construction of the core area of Xinjiang's "Silk Road Economic Belt". Editor/Sang Xiaomei

Xinjiang Wuwei Highway runs through the north and south of Tianshan Mountains--Seetao

The completion of the project will play an important role in guiding the construction of railways, highways, and civil aviation in the future Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region at the national macro-strategic level, and the development of ports that are open to the west will play an important role

www.seetao.com