On May 23, the Liyue Extra-Long Tunnel on the Luding–Shimian Expressway (Lushi Expressway) in Sichuan achieved full double-tube breakthrough.

The Lushi Expressway has a total length of 96.511 km and an estimated total investment of approximately RMB 17.408 billion. It is invested by Sichuan Tibetan Plateau Expressway Lushi Company under Shudao Group, and constructed by Sichuan Road & Bridge Transportation Construction Group and Sichuan Road & Bridge East China Company, with a construction period of four years. The project connects the Ya'an–Kangding Expressway leading to the Tibetan-inhabited areas of Garzê and the Ya'an–Xichang Expressway leading to the Yi region of Liangshan, and is an important component of China's Tibetan-Yi Corridor.

The bridge-to-tunnel ratio of the Lushi Expressway is as high as 86.5%, with tunnels accounting for 69% of the route. The project runs parallel and in close proximity to several regional active major fault zones, with a basic seismic intensity of Degree VIII (8). The Liyue Tunnel is located in Liyue Village, Shimian County, with a left tube length of 4,920 meters and a right tube length of 4,911 meters. Construction of the tunnel faced numerous difficulties, including fragmented and variable surrounding rock, rockbursts, and water inflow.

According to reports, during the construction of the Liyue Tunnel, all participating parties continuously optimized resource allocation and adhered to a technology-led approach, using advanced geological forecasting and geological sketching of the working face to predict surrounding rock conditions in advance and dynamically adjust support parameters. At the same time, they made substantial investments in new equipment such as wet shotcrete manipulators, arch frame trolleys, rock bolt trolleys, new intelligent secondary lining trolleys, and semi-automated curing trolleys, taking multiple measures to improve tunnel construction safety.

This month, the Baicaoping Extra-Long Tunnel, Wanggangping Extra-Long Tunnel, and Liyue Extra-Long Tunnel on the Lushi Expressway achieved breakthrough in succession, opening up the longitudinal connecting passage from Wanggangping to Ganchigou and greatly improving subsequent construction and transportation conditions. Once the Lushi Expressway is completed, the travel time from Luding to Shimian will be shortened from the current 3 hours to 1 hour.