On January 12, at the construction site of the second-line shiplock project at the Taoyuan Hub on the Yuan River, builders were making the most of the fine winter weather to carry out construction at full pace.

In recent years, Changde has vigorously promoted the construction of high-grade waterways. In April 2025, three projects—the Lishui River Shimen to Lixian Waterway Construction Project, the Yuan River Changde to Nianyukou 2,000-tonne-class Waterway Construction Project, and the Second-Line Shiplock Construction Project at the Taoyuan Hub on the Yuan River—were included in the province's key water transport construction projects. The Second-Line Shiplock Construction Project at the Taoyuan Hub on the Yuan River and the Changde Port International Container Terminal (Customs Supervision Site) Project were listed among Changde's "Two Top Ten" projects.

The Lishui River Shimen to Lixian Waterway Construction Project officially commenced in 2022. The project involves upgrading 51 kilometers of the Lishui River waterway from Shimen to Lixian to Class III standards. Its main construction contents include a new 2,000-tonne-class shiplock and a 12-gate sluice at the Qingshan Hub, as well as a new 2,000-tonne-class shiplock and a 5-gate sluice at the Yanzhou Hub, along with supporting facilities such as waterway management stations, anchorage management areas, bridge reconstruction, and smart navigation marks. After years of effort, the project has now entered its final stage and is expected to be fully completed and opened to navigation within the year.

The main construction contents of the Second-Line Shiplock Construction Project at the Taoyuan Hub on the Yuan River include building a new second-line shiplock at the Taoyuan Hub to a 1,000-tonne-class standard, relocating the Yuan River levee on the right bank of the Taoyuan Hub, demolishing and rebuilding the Taoyuan Yuan River Bridge, and constructing one new shiplock management area. The project commenced on December 27, 2024, with a total construction period of 42 months. As of the end of December 2025, the project had completed a cumulative investment of 1.812 billion yuan, accounting for 75.12% of the approved budget estimate.

At present, the upstream and downstream cofferdams of the shiplock project have all been completed. Pile foundation works for the upstream and downstream approach channels, supporting row piles, and side outlets, as well as earthwork excavation and concrete pouring for the main shiplock structure, are underway. The cement mixing piles (for slope protection of the main foundation pit) have been completed. For the levee relocation project, construction and acceptance of four sub-projects, including levee body filling and the levee road works, have been completed. For the bridge project, the steel trestle and construction platform, precast beam yard, and west bank approach bridge retaining wall have all been completed, and some pile cap cofferdams have been finished.

The Changde Port International Container Terminal (Customs Supervision Site) Project plans to build a 63-mu Deshan customs supervision site at Berth No. 4 of Phase I of the Deshan 1,000-tonne-class wharf and the adjacent plot to the east, with a throughput capacity of 45,700 TEU per year, and to subsequently advance Phase II construction according to traffic volume. In 2025, the "Changde Port Master Plan (2024–2035)" was approved. At present, the project's feasibility study has been completed, and preliminary work is being advanced in an orderly manner, striving for early commencement of construction.