The Chengping Expressway (Chengde–Beijing Pinggu Expressway) has demonstrated solid capabilities in adapting to complex terrain. Bridges and tunnels account for about 47% of the project, which passes through plains, mountainous areas, and other landforms. Bridge construction in the river valley sections uses the cantilever form traveler cast-in-place method. Zhan Fei described this construction method as "building with blocks in the air": "Concrete is poured section by section through movable form travelers, which move forward with construction progress, thereby completing the main structure of extra-large bridges. For example, the 120-meter-span Jiangjunguan Shihe Grand Bridge started construction in May 2024 and was completed in 16 months, ensuring project quality while minimizing disturbance to the river valley's ecological environment."

       The pile foundation construction of the Juhe Bridge is another major challenge of the Chengping Expressway. This bridge is located in Section 3, which is constructed by Beijing Urban Construction Group. In the winter of 2023, the project team entered the Juhe Bridge construction site. When trial-drilling the first pile foundation, they found that the geological conditions were more complex than indicated in the geological survey report: in the river channel filled with cobbles, oversized cobbles and gravel were interbedded and accumulated within the pile foundation depth of about 50 meters, with the largest particle size exceeding 1.4 meters. "I have worked in engineering for more than 20 years, and this is the first time I have encountered such a geological structure. When we drilled down, we knew we were in trouble. The drill bit wore out extremely fast, hole collapse was very likely during the cutting of cobbles and gravel, and hole wall stability was difficult to ensure," recalled project manager Tian Lifeng. The special geology imposed requirements on equipment and techniques far beyond those of conventional projects, and the cold winter weather made construction conditions even worse.

       To overcome this challenge, Tian Lifeng, production manager Wang Xuebo, and chief engineer He Huibin led the project's technical backbone to quickly form a task force. They purchased drill teeth made of new alloy materials and improved the drill bit by welding on wear-resistant layers to enhance its wear resistance and penetration; at the same time, they repeatedly tested and adjusted the mud performance, improving the mud's ability to carry cuttings and lubricate as well as its wall-protection effect, thereby solving the hole wall stability problem. During construction, the project team "researched while working," discussing and correcting problems whenever they arose.

       The construction of the first pile was truly a "hard battle": a pile with a diameter of 1.5 meters and a length of 45 meters took a full week to complete. Through continuous exploration, the team gradually optimized the process to complete one pile in more than 30 hours, and ultimately completed the construction task of more than 60 pile foundations in the river channel within just over a month, ensuring that the 700-plus-meter-long bridge was completed on schedule.

       In addition to geological challenges, the unique terrain conditions of the section also brought many difficulties to construction. Section 3 runs between plains and mountainous areas, with a total length of 10.9 kilometers, crossing 13 villages in 3 townships. Two-thirds of the section is distributed along the river channel in the plain area formed by river scouring—an important flood discharge channel—so the project could only be constructed during gaps outside the rainy season. The main flood season from July to September each year is a key factor affecting construction progress. To ensure normal flood discharge in the river channel during the rainy season without delaying construction, the project team innovatively adopted a gantry-style portal opening scheme, building dedicated supports above the river channel. This not only ensured that the flood discharge channel remained unobstructed but also created a safe and stable working environment for construction.