In the early hours of January 13, the final 2-meter closure segment of the left span of the Gasa River Grand Bridge on the Daga Expressway was successfully joined, marking the full closure of the entire bridge and putting the expressway on the verge of full opening to traffic.

At midnight, accompanied by festive firecrackers and brilliant fireworks, cement mixer trucks entered the site one after another. Workers poured concrete through funnels into pre-assembled steel formwork, taking advantage of the low nighttime temperatures to press ahead with the bridge closure work, as concrete gains good compressive strength after setting under such conditions.

Hong Biwu, deputy project manager of the Ninth Work Section of the Daga Expressway project under Yunnan Construction and Investment Holding Group, said: "The workers are now pouring the final closure segment of the Gasa River Grand Bridge. Once completed, it means the main structure of the Gasa River Grand Bridge has been successfully finished. For the subsequent ancillary works such as crash barriers and bridge deck paving, we will, on the premise of ensuring quality, quantity and safety, organize meticulously and vigorously push forward progress to ensure the goal of opening the Daga Expressway to traffic is achieved."

The Gasa River Grand Bridge is known as the "No. 1 Project" of the Daga Expressway and has a major impact on the completion and opening of the entire expressway. Its main bridge is a continuous rigid-frame box girder bridge with a total length of 982.04 meters, a height of 206 meters from the bridge deck to the river surface, a main span of 200 meters, a main pier height of 172 meters and a maximum pile depth of 96 meters, ranking first in the province and among the top five in the country in terms of bridge height among bridges of the same type. Since entering the site in September 2018, construction personnel have overcome difficulties such as high temperatures, strong winds and ultra-high pumping of concrete, accelerating the construction of the main bridge structure.

Yang Xinghua, general manager of Yuxi Daga Expressway Investment, Construction and Development Co., Ltd., said: "As a key controlling project of the Daga Expressway and also a landmark highlight project, the Gasa River Grand Bridge was successfully and fully closed today, laying a solid foundation for the opening of the entire road. Next, we will organize the comprehensive construction of traffic safety facilities, electromechanical systems and landscaping according to plan, laying a solid foundation for smooth opening to traffic before the Spring Festival and presenting the people of Yunnan and Yuxi with a road to development and prosperity."

The Daga Expressway project is one of the key construction projects under the "expressways in every county" program of the Central Yunnan urban economic circle and the "access to all, connectivity for all" initiative in Yunnan Province's 13th Five-Year Plan. It has an estimated investment of 11.144 billion yuan and a main line length of 66.65 kilometers. Among its sections, the Dakaimen-Xinping East section opened for trial operation on September 30, 2019, and the Xinping East-Xinping West section opened for trial operation on January 1, 2020. With the full closure of the Gasa River Grand Bridge, the Daga Expressway will achieve full opening to traffic before the Spring Festival.