Since the start of construction of the Guiping Expressway (Guiyang–Pingtang Expressway) project one year ago, all construction work along the line has achieved phased results, with quality and safety under control and a sound and rapid development trend. At present, workers on the Pingtang section of the Guiping Expressway are carrying out construction work intensively, and the project is in full swing.

Lami River Grand Bridge (photo courtesy of Pingtang County Converged Media Center)

　　At the construction site of the Lami River Grand Bridge project in Section T18 of the Guiping Expressway, workers are reinforcing the arch ribs lifted today and installing safety operation hangers. The Lami River Grand Bridge has a total of 8 arch rib segments for its left and right spans. The hoisting of its steel pipe arch ribs is a key part of the project, involving large lifting weights, large swing angles during lifting, and a high friction coefficient for the lateral movement of the cable saddle slideway, making it one of the major and difficult works.

　　Dong Tao, a technician in Section T18 of the Guiping Expressway, said: "This assembly and welding of a connection between the arch ribs of the left and right spans makes the arch ribs more stable and increases their load-bearing capacity, maximizing compliance with our load-bearing requirements."

　　"The construction difficulties of the Lami River Grand Bridge include integral hoisting and tower installation. Because our bridge is an asymmetric concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge, the arch rib hoisting process is affected by the stay cables. The difficulty lies in the arch rib hoisting process, which requires lateral movement, heavy-load lateral movement, and swing movement to complete," introduced Li Dalin, deputy project manager of Section T18 of the Guiping Expressway.

　　The Lami River Grand Bridge is located in Zhemi Town, Pingtang County. The bridge crosses the Lami River (the lower reaches of the Pingzhou River) in the Hongshui River system of the Pearl River Basin. The bridge has a total length of 206 meters, a clear span of 176 meters, and a deck about 106 meters above the water surface. The bridge lies on a curve and is an asymmetric arch bridge with a width of 40.8 meters, making it the widest asymmetric concrete-filled steel tube arch bridge on an expressway in China.

　　"The Lami River Grand Bridge is currently undergoing superstructure construction, and the steel pipe arch ribs are being installed. The arch rib work is 75% complete and is expected to be closed in mid-May. All construction is scheduled to be completed in November 2024, reaching the conditions for Phase 2 asphalt paving," said Li Dalin, deputy project manager of Section T18 of the Guiping Expressway.

　　Entering the work area of Section T19, workers are carrying out welding, tying, pouring and other operations in an orderly manner. The entire plant consists of a smart production line, a rebar processing area, an intelligent control room and an outdoor finished-product storage area. It reduces damage to components caused by traditional manual demolding and handling and greatly increases production capacity. This is also the smart production line of the first New Jersey barrier intelligent prefabrication yard built and put into use in Guizhou Province.

　　Luo Zheng, work area manager of Section T19 of the Guiping Expressway, said: "Compared with other places, our site can achieve high output and good finish density. The current total production is more than 3,000 pieces, with a daily output of 90 pieces."

　　At the construction site of the Xiangyangtan Service Area project in Section T19 of the Guiping Expressway, the second-largest service area in Guizhou Province is under construction. This is the first service area on the Guiping Expressway after entering Guizhou from Guangxi. Relying on the area's unique tourism resources and favorable ecological environment, the service area is planned to be built into a distinctive tourism service area integrating dining, drinking, entertainment, leisure and more.

　　"It is a service area integrating transportation and tourism, including a hotel, tourism facilities, and future parking points for recreational vehicles. We expect to complete the Phase 1 project by December this year," said Luo Zheng, work area manager of Section T19 of the Guiping Expressway.

　　It is understood that the Guiping Expressway, as an important section of the Guiyang–Beihai Expressway in the National Highway Network Plan, is an important component of the Western Land-Sea Corridor. It is also the most convenient route from Guiyang to Nanning and a key project of Guizhou's five-year action plan for strengthening the provincial capital. The project route has a total length of 174.018 kilometers, a design speed of 100 km/h, and bridges and tunnels account for 50.7% of the total route length. Once completed, the project will play an important role in enhancing the capacity of major national expressway corridors, advancing Guizhou's construction as a western demonstration province of a strong transportation country, and accelerating the construction of the central Guizhou economic zone.