Across the vast desert and gobi of Alxa, an east-west expressway is taking shape — the G7 Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway, a super project with a 930-kilometer main line that is about to open to traffic. Against the backdrop of the in-depth implementation of the national "Belt and Road" and "Western Development" strategies, the project is a powerful measure to advance Inner Mongolia's leapfrog development. Its construction model of large-section general contracting was also adopted for the first time in highway construction in the region, creating an astonishing Beijing-Xinjiang speed and miracle.

　　

 

The G7 Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway project, with an estimated total investment of 30.2 billion yuan, is divided into three contract sections and adopts a large-section construction general contracting management model. It is being built by three central SOEs — China State Construction Engineering Corporation, China Railway Group, and China Communications Construction Company. Both the model and the builders are a first for transportation construction in Inner Mongolia and even the whole country, and they provide a new construction model and many useful explorations that can be drawn on for highway construction in the autonomous region.

The advantages of the general contracting management model are obvious. The first is environmental friendliness. Wang Li, general manager of the CSCEC general contracting department, said the design plan for this largest single construction project in China and even Asia was selected from the best of the best, a prominent reflection of the lowest resource allocation and the highest efficiency. Within the alignment, the route basically avoids national protected areas, includes animal crossings, and protects the fragile ecological environment to the greatest extent. The second is unified and intensive high efficiency. Under the general contracting model, the advanced management experience of central SOEs, unified standardized construction operations, unified cost management, unified cultural development, and Party building all provide strong momentum and an inexhaustible source for project construction, while greatly saving on cost and management expenses. Sun Yuguo, general manager of the China Railway general contracting department, summed up this advantage as building an expressway with feeling: under overall control, there is one standard and one approach throughout; by pursuing a common cultural aspiration embedded in the bones and the core competitiveness brought by distinctive Party building cohesion, in this place where water and electricity are painfully scarce, they build the project, erect a monument, cultivate talent, and achieve self-appreciation. Liu Yongming, general manager of the CCCC general contracting department, also used methods including construction general contracting plus basic total-price limits, one system, one set of rules, Internet management technology, flat management, and price-limit management, which not only effectively improved construction speed and efficiency but also fundamentally prevented corruption.

　　

 

Judging from actual results, since construction began in April 2015, more than 20,000 builders from all over the country have advanced into the desert and gobi. Overcoming numerous difficulties such as scarce water and electricity, no signal, harsh climate and environment, and hard living conditions, they braved sandstorms, fought the heat, raced against time, pushed progress, and ensured quality, waging a "large-scale campaign" across the vast desert and gobi and achieving one breakthrough after another. The 358-kilometer black pavement of the third contract section, built by CCCC, was the first to be completed on July 13, 2016; the 352-kilometer black pavement of the second contract section, built by China Railway, was completed ahead of schedule on August 10. On September 21 last year, the paving of the final kilometer of asphalt surface course in the CSCEC-built section was completed, marking the full completion of the black pavement on the main line of the Linhe-Bai Gedan section (within Alxa League) of the Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway, China's largest single transportation construction project. All of these far exceeded the planned construction period of June 2017.

On the premise of ensuring safety and quality, the G7 Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway project construction management office and the general contracting departments optimized construction organization, reasonably arranged working hours, increased inputs of manpower, materials, and machinery and equipment, adopted continuous flow-line construction operations, and, with the "Beijing-Xinjiang Cup" labor competition as a carrier, gave play to the vanguard role of "Party Member Pioneer Posts," "Worker Pioneer Teams," and "Youth Commando Teams," creating a good atmosphere of vigorous work across the entire line and ensuring the rapid progress of project construction.