On June 3, the right tube of the Xuefengshan Tunnel on the Wulong-Liangjiang New Area Expressway (hereinafter referred to as the Wuliang Expressway), which was constructed with the participation of China Railway No. 8 Engineering Group and designed by China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group, was successfully holed through. This is also the longest tunnel on the entire Wuliang Expressway. The project is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2026, at which time the drive from Wulong to the central urban area will be shortened to 1 hour.

The Xuefengshan Tunnel on the Wuliang Expressway enters the mountain at Nianziyan in Gaolou Village, Fenglai Town, Wulong District, and exits on the east side of Xuefeng Village, Tongle Township. With a total length of 9,109 meters (combined left and right tubes), it is designed as a small-clearance separated double-tube tunnel and is the longest tunnel on the entire Wuliang Expressway. The right tube is 4,559 meters long, with a maximum burial depth of about 396 meters.

During construction, suspected shale oil and gas were encountered at the tunnel excavation face. To ensure the safety and quality of subsequent construction and operation, the project team organized experts to carry out a special assessment, conducted advanced probing holes at the tunnel face, monitored the gas content at various locations inside the tunnel in real time, and promptly revised and improved the construction plan to ensure the safe and smooth holing-through of the tunnel.

The Wuliang Expressway is the straightest expressway from Wulong to the central urban area of Chongqing, with a total length of about 37.18 kilometers. The project starts at the Yankou Tunnel of the G69 Nanfu Expressway on the south side of Pingqiao Town, runs northwest through the Pingqiao Tunnel to Zhongcun Village, then crosses the Daxi River to Fenglai Township, passes through Xuefengshan to the north side of Tongle Township, runs west past the south side of Dashun Township, and ends at its junction with the Nanliang Expressway. The entire line is designed for a speed of 100 kilometers per hour and is built to the standard of a two-way, four-lane expressway.

The project connects the Ring Expressway, the Nanchuan-Liangjiang New Area Expressway and the Third Ring Expressway, and is also a lateral densification line between the Yangtze River Corridor and the Chongqing-Hunan Corridor. The project is expected to be completed and open to traffic in 2026, at which time the drive from Wulong to the central urban area will be shortened to 1 hour.