At 11:00 a.m. on January 9, with the last blast, the Xiahe No. 2 Tunnel of the Wangxia Expressway was safely and successfully holed through on both tubes simultaneously. This marks that, apart from the Labrang Extra-Long Tunnel, all tunnel works on the Wangxia Expressway have achieved single- and double-tube breakthrough, another milestone victory in the project's construction and a solid foundation for the project's full completion on schedule.

The Wangxia Expressway is 41.595 km long in total, entirely within Xiahe County. It connects to G1816 in the north and borders the Gansu-Qinghai boundary in the south, and is the first project in Gannan Prefecture under the "expressway access for every county" program. The route includes 9 tunnels, with a bridge-tunnel ratio as high as 63.20%. The Xiahe No. 2 Tunnel is 1,620.5 m long (Grade V surrounding rock accounts for 1,238 m, or 76.4%, and Grade IV for 382.5 m, or 23.6%), with a maximum burial depth of about 175 m. It is located on the plateau at an elevation of about 3,000 m. The tunnel passes through typical weak surrounding rock geology, mainly sandy slate and argillaceous slate, which is prone to rock softening and poses great construction difficulty.

Facing the construction risks and challenges, the Wangxia Expressway Project Construction Management Office, together with the supervision and construction units, carefully analyzed the drawings and geological drilling data, formulated and optimized targeted construction plans, and strengthened advanced geological forecasting and monitoring measurement to provide first-hand data for construction safety. Since official excavation began in October 2018, all builders have devoted themselves to the project with high morale, adhering to standardized construction and refined management, strictly controlling process interfaces, and paying attention to construction details. They have safely and smoothly passed through adverse geological sections including the shallow-buried portal section, water-rich section, large-deformation soft rock section, and shallow-buried Grade V surrounding rock section.

Through monitoring measurement, advanced geological forecasting, and geological sketching to dynamically grasp the surrounding rock conditions, the construction plan was adjusted in a timely manner, technical measures were optimized, and construction methods were innovated. Adopting a model of mechanized cluster operations combined with the application of informatized and intelligent achievements, and following the principles of "advanced pipe roofing, short advance, strong support, quick closure, and frequent measurement," good results were achieved. The Xiahe No. 2 Tunnel was safely holed through on schedule as planned, accumulating rich experience for tunnel construction under similar geological conditions.

Enduring hardship without fear and maintaining spirit despite oxygen shortage, in the subsequent construction, all participants of the Wangxia Expressway will "stay true to the original aspiration and keep the mission firmly in mind," practice the new development philosophy, promote high-quality project development, continue to carry forward the spirit of overcoming difficulties, devote themselves fully to project construction, and strive toward the goal of building a quality Wangxia.