On September 13, the Linhai-side left tube of the Maoliling Tunnel of the Zhejiang Communications Group's Yongtaiwen Reconstruction and Expansion Taizhou North Section Project successfully completed three trial blasts adjacent to the railway, marking the project's entry into a new construction phase.

The Maoliling Tunnel is a key controlling works of the Yongtaiwen Reconstruction and Expansion Taizhou North Section Project and the critical point for capacity expansion and speed improvement along the entire line. After reconstruction and expansion, it will be upgraded from two-way 4 lanes to two-way 10 lanes, greatly enhancing its traffic capacity and level of service. The first (trial) blast section for tunnel bore excavation is located at the endpoint of the Linhai-side left line section of the main-line Maoliling Tunnel, within the railway blasting protection zone. The portal is only 391 meters from the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou Railway and just 31 meters from the existing tunnel, making control of blasting vibration velocity the top priority in construction.

Faced with multiple construction challenges posed by the existing expressway, provincial road, and high-speed railway, the project command headquarters and participating units organized all work crews and management personnel in advance for safety education and safety knowledge tests on railway-adjacent operations, notified surrounding residents of the construction situation, and carried out work such as filling and retaining-wall protection for access roads. During the trial blasts, the project also established a railway station liaison group and coordinated with multiple parties including highway traffic police and the Hangzhou-Shaoxing-Taizhou Railway to impose traffic control on the existing expressway. At the same time, in strict accordance with relevant construction engineering safety technical standards and specifications, supervision and management during tunnel bore excavation and initial support construction were strengthened, and protective scaffolding, soundproof cotton, and other equipment were implemented to fully safeguard the driving safety of the existing expressway and the housing and personal safety of local villagers, advancing the Maoliling Tunnel with guaranteed quality, quantity, and safety.

"This trial blasting was carried out in three stages, at 80%, 90%, and 100% of the designed total charge. Next, the project will, through vibration velocity monitoring of the existing tunnel after each blast, summarize a construction technique suitable for blasting excavation of this tunnel bore section, so as to adopt corresponding control measures for key and difficult locations and help achieve the opening target on schedule," introduced a relevant person in charge of the project.

Currently, cumulative tunnel bore excavation for the entire Maoliling Tunnel has exceeded 140 meters, and bore excavation is continuing. As of now, 168 blasts have been completed.

The Yongtaiwen Reconstruction and Expansion Taizhou North Section Project starts at the Mao'aoiling Tunnel at the junction of Ninghai and Sanmen County on the Yongtaiwen Expressway, passes through Sanmen County and Linhai City, and ends at the Linhai South Interchange, with a total route length of 42.835 kilometers and a total investment of 11.922 billion yuan. It will effectively enhance the traffic capacity and service level of the national expressway network, strengthen the collection, distribution, and national defense readiness transport capacity of ports along the eastern Zhejiang coast, and accelerate the construction of the Zhejiang Marine Economy Demonstration Zone.