On October 20, after 712 days of continuous effort by construction personnel, the Cuijishan Tunnel on the Meixian–Taibai County Expressway, invested in by China Railway Construction Investment Group Co., Ltd. and constructed by China Railway 20th Bureau, achieved double-tube breakthrough, laying a solid foundation for the full-line opening of the Meitai Expressway on schedule.

The Meitai Expressway, with a total length of 75.435 km, starts in Fufeng County, Baoji City, where it connects with the Lianyungang–Khorgos Expressway, and ends in Taibai County, where it links with the under-construction Fengtai Expressway. It is an alternate route for the Xi'an–Hanzhong section of the Beijing–Kunming line, integrating Xi'an, Taibai, Longnan, and northern Sichuan into one network and forming a longitudinal link connecting the Lianyungang–Khorgos, Shiyan–Tianshui, and Beijing–Kunming expressways. The Cuijishan Tunnel is located in Taibai County, with a left tube 2,439.6 m long and a right tube 2,491.6 m long. Situated within the Qinling ecological protection area, it is the long tunnel on the Meitai Expressway with the highest altitude, the largest water inflow, the strictest environmental and water-conservation requirements, and the fastest-changing geological conditions.

During construction, the project builders consistently gave top priority to protecting the ecological environment and adhered to green construction. At the same time, in response to changing rock strata, they continuously optimized the construction plan and strictly followed the principles of "advance pipe roofing, strict grouting, short excavation, strong support, early sealing, frequent measurement, rapid feedback, and settlement control," adopting a combination of long- and short-range advanced geological prediction methods such as advanced drilling, ground-penetrating radar, and TSP to ensure safe construction inside the tunnel; they used domestic advanced construction equipment and technologies such as hydraulic rock drilling jumbos, wet-shotcrete robotic arms, and fully automatic intelligent trolleys, achieving mechanized and intelligent construction.

During construction of the Cuijishan Tunnel, numerous difficulties were overcome, including shallow cover, eccentric loading, complex and variable geology, fractured rock mass, and water-rich reverse-slope conditions, and the milestone targets were completed ahead of schedule. In subsequent construction, the project department will continue to strengthen on-site safety, quality, and schedule management, coordinate all resources and forces, effectively increase on-site input, vigorously improve on-site construction organization and standardized control, accelerate the construction of the Meitai project, and ensure the successful completion of all targets and tasks.

Once completed, the Meitai Expressway will be of great significance for further strengthening the connection between the Guanzhong region and southern Shaanxi, improving the layout of Shaanxi Province's expressway network, smoothing the major Sichuan–Shaanxi transportation corridor, and promoting high-quality regional economic development.