At 2 a.m. on September 26, with the completion of the final concrete pour, the right carriageway of the steel continuous girder of the Phoenix Grand Bridge on the TJ-12 section of the Yuxi-Chuxiong Expressway, constructed by China Railway Beijing Engineering Group, was successfully closed, achieving single-carriageway through-connection and laying a solid foundation for subsequent pavement construction and on-schedule opening.

The Phoenix Grand Bridge is located in a remote valley with steep slopes on both sides and significant elevation differences. In addition, the bridge features a concrete continuous rigid-frame and prestressed concrete T-beam structure, with a total length of 630.1 meters and a maximum pier height of 63.4 meters. The steel continuous girder is poured in 38 segments and is one of the longest-span continuous girders on the entire Yuxi-Chuxiong Expressway, making construction extremely difficult.

Since the start of the project, the Yuxi-Chuxiong Expressway project department of China Railway Beijing Engineering Group has overcome unfavorable factors such as complex geological conditions, high safety risks, and narrow on-site working areas. It prepared a very detailed construction plan based on actual site conditions and technical requirements, and made detailed arrangements for construction safety, high-altitude operations, temporary power supply, and resource allocation, ensuring the expected goal of "zero accidents" in construction production.

According to Zhang Gang, project manager, in order to ensure the smooth pouring of this closure segment, the project department implemented 24-hour shift supervision. While making full preparations for personnel, materials, and machinery and making thorough arrangements, it conducted safety education and training and technical briefings by trade for the bridge work teams, and carried out experimental testing of concrete and rebar in advance to ensure the construction quality and safety of the closure. The right carriageway has now been successfully closed, and the pouring of the mid-span closure segment of the left carriageway is expected to take place in November.

The Yuxi-Chuxiong Expressway is an important part of the Mile-Chuxiong Expressway, a connecting line in the national expressway network plan, and also an important part of the outer ring of the central Yunnan urban economic circle. The route is 190.687 kilometers long, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, and is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 2022.