The Wupai Tunnel is the most difficult long tunnel in the construction of the Xinliu Expressway

On May 6, the Wupai Tunnel, a key control project of the Xinliunan Expressway, was fully holed through. With this, all 21 tunnels along the Xinliunan Expressway have been completed, marking the clearing of the route's "last kilometer" and fast-tracking the project toward its opening to traffic.

It is reported that the main line of the Xinliunan Expressway is 200.019 kilometers long, starting in Luoman Town, Liuzhou City, connecting with the Sanjiang-Liuzhou Expressway, and ending in Wutang Town, Nanning City, linking up with the Nanning Ring Expressway. The construction of the project is of great significance to the economic development of the cities along the route, integrating Shanglin and Binyang into the one-hour economic circle of Nanning and ending the history of no expressway access in Xincheng County. In addition, the completion of the project will help ease the traffic pressure on the original Liunan Expressway, especially the section from Liujing to San'an.

The Wupai Tunnel, which has now been fully holed through, is located in Xincheng County. Its left tube is 1,640 meters long and its right tube is 1,600 meters long; it is a separated tunnel. The tunnel has complex geological conditions, passing through karst caves, colluvial slope deposits, soft substrata, and underground rivers, making it the longest tunnel with the greatest construction difficulty and the highest safety risk in the Xinliunan Expressway project.

Since construction began inside the tunnel on September 27, 2019, all participating units have overcome adverse factors such as collapses, roof falls, cave roof subsidence, and the COVID-19 pandemic. After more than 580 days of construction, the tunnel was fully holed through on May 6.

At present, the main line of the Xinliunan Expressway is basically connected, about 95% of the main works of the entire line have been completed, the bridge deck paving of 60 large and medium-sized bridges is basically finished, all 21 tunnels along the line have been holed through, and pavement construction has entered a stage of all-out sprint. The entire line will be completed and opened to traffic within the year.