Huanjiang, April 4 (Guangxi News Network) — "Breakthrough! Breakthrough!" Following a loud "boom," cheers erupted at the construction site of the Bapan Tunnel — the longest tunnel on the Hechi–Libo Expressway (He-Li Expressway) in Guizhou. The left tube of the Bapan Tunnel on the He-Li Expressway T1 contract section has been successfully holed through, marking an important milestone achievement in the He-Li Expressway project.

The He-Li Expressway is 69.15 kilometers long, built to a two-way, four-lane standard with a design speed of 100 km/h. It is a new direct expressway corridor connecting Guizhou and Guangxi in both directions, creating a one-hour economic circle between Guizhou and Guangxi expressways and improving the expressway network of the New Western Land-Sea Corridor. The Bapan Tunnel belongs to the He-Li Expressway T1 contract section and is located in Wenhua Village, Si'en Town, Huanjiang Maonan Autonomous County, Hechi City. It is a separated long tunnel and the longest tunnel on the entire He-Li Expressway. The single-tube length is 2,927.5 meters, with an excavation volume of 595,600 cubic meters for the tunnel body and portals. The exit portal is of the end-wall type. The tunnel features 3 vehicular cross passages and 8 pedestrian cross passages.

"With the left tube successfully holed through today, I am extremely excited at this moment," said Zhu Zhida, a tunnel technician of the No. 4 work area of the He-Li Expressway T1 contract section. As an on-site technician, he said, he strictly controlled and checked every procedure during construction to ensure project quality.

At the site, workers will gradually complete the follow-up procedures after the tunnel breakthrough to ensure the schedule target is met on time and to advance the entire project steadily and efficiently. On-site construction worker Xiong Lianze explained: "We are now doing electrical work — first rebar tying, then applying the finish film and pouring concrete. After this procedure is completed, it will be handed over to the mechanical and electrical crew."

It is reported that since construction began, the project department has carefully organized all tasks, procedures, construction teams and work crews, carrying out meticulous construction with excavation from both ends simultaneously. The tunnel face construction adopted methods such as manual drilling and smooth blasting, effectively overcoming the adverse geological effects of karst depressions and dangerous rock masses throughout the tunnel, greatly shortening the construction period.