On June 3, the reporter learned from Shudao Group that the Damaliang No. 2 Tunnel, a controlling project of the Meigu-Zhaojue section of the Lexi Expressway (hereinafter referred to as the "Lexi Expressway"), has been fully holed through, marking the basic completion of the tunnel's main works and achieving a key breakthrough in the milestone of opening the Meigu-Zhaojue section of the Lexi Expressway to traffic, laying a solid foundation for the 54-kilometer phased opening of the Meigu-Zhaojue section of the Lexi Expressway in 2024.

According to the introduction, the Damaliang No. 2 Tunnel is about 12.5 kilometers long and is the fourth longest tunnel among expressways under construction in Southwest China.

The Lexi Expressway (Mabian-Zhaojue section) is the seventh of the eight longitudinal lines in the Sichuan Provincial Expressway Network Plan. The route starts at Minjian Town, Mabian Yi Autonomous County, Leshan City, connecting with the Mabian branch of the Renmu New Expressway, passes through Leibo County and Meigu County of Liangshan Prefecture, and ends at the south side of Zhaojue County, linking with the Xichang-Zhaotong Expressway. The route is 151.753 kilometers long, with a bridge-tunnel ratio of 81.78%, an estimated investment of 33.532 billion yuan, and a construction period of 5 years. It is the first expressway to penetrate deep into the hinterland of the Greater and Lesser Liangshan Mountains.

After the 54-kilometer phased section of the Meigu-Zhaojue section of the Lexi Expressway is completed and opened to traffic, it will completely end the history of Meigu and Zhaojue counties having no expressway access.