First Pile Foundation of Jinma Bridge Main Pier Begins Drilling

On July 22, as a 580-ton large rotary drilling rig roared into operation, the first pile foundation of the main pier of the Jinma Bridge, a controlling project of the Guangzhou-Zhaoqing Expressway (G80 Guangkun Expressway Hengjiang to Ma'an section) reconstruction and expansion project, was successfully drilled, marking a breakthrough in the construction of the Jinma Bridge main bridge.

The Guangzhou-Zhaoqing Expressway reconstruction and expansion project starts from the Hengjiang Junction Interchange of the Guangzhou West Second Ring Expressway, follows the existing expressway for reconstruction and expansion, passes through Xinan Subdistrict in Sanshui District of Foshan City, and Jinli Town, Xiangang Town, Jindu Town, Baitu Town, Liantang Town, and Nan'an Subdistrict in Gaoyao District of Zhaoqing City, and ends at the Ma'an Interchange, connecting with the Guangyun Expressway (G80 Guangkun Expressway Ma'an to Hekou section), with a total length of 51.1 kilometers.

The main bridge of the Jinma Bridge has a total length of 1,920 meters and adopts a separated addition approach, using a collaborative system of a single-tower, double-cable-plane composite girder cable-stayed bridge and a continuous composite girder, with a main span arrangement of 85+283+283+85 meters and a total span length of 736 meters. The cable tower adopts an H-shaped pylon with a height of 132.35 meters.

The first steel casing of the Jinma Bridge main pier was driven on June 11, using an independent platform for operations. The concrete pouring for the main pier pile foundation construction of the bridge uses independent large-scale mixing vessel equipment for pouring operations, characterized by high construction organization difficulty and high safety management risks. The main pier is designed with 24 pile foundations of 2.8 meters in diameter, with the piles passing through various strata including sand layers, pebble layers, and strongly weathered carbonaceous limestone layers, and the bridge spans the busy West River shipping channel.

To ensure the smooth drilling of the first pile foundation of the main pier, the project management office organized the participating units to carefully prepare special construction plans, refine construction milestones, list prerequisite tasks, assign dedicated personnel to track implementation and feedback, and ensure orderly connection of all processes.

At the same time, it actively coordinated with navigation, maritime, and other departments, established a mutual communication and linkage mechanism, and made advance registration, acceptance, and calibration filings for the entry of large mechanical equipment, with synchronous acceptance.

The Jinma Bridge plans to complete the main pier pile foundation and cap construction by the end of 2024, laying a solid foundation for the project to be completed and opened to traffic in 2027.

One bridge connects both banks. After the Guangzhou-Zhaoqing Expressway reconstruction and expansion project is completed and opened to traffic, it will further implement Zhaoqing's "Double Nine" integration into the Greater Bay Area action, actively participate in the construction of the Guangzhou-Foshan-Zhaoqing development axis of the Guangzhou metropolitan area, accelerate integration into the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area "1-hour traffic circle," continuously deepen "soft connectivity" with the Greater Bay Area in terms of facilitation measures and innovation and entrepreneurship platforms, deeply embed into the Greater Bay Area's industrial chain and innovation chain, and form a regional economic layout with complementary advantages and high-quality development.