Xiangyang Daily (Shen Mingjing, the Journalist, and Lu Fengjie and Yin Ming, the Correspondents) On March 26, the expansion and reconstruction project of the Gaoying Hub Interchange to Longzhong Interchange Section of the Erenhot–Guangzhou Expressway in Xiangyang, Hubei Province, reached a major milestone with the commencement of the drilling of the first pile, signaling the official start of substantive construction.

This project runs in a north–south direction, commencing at the northern side of the Gaoying Hub Interchange in Xiangzhou District and extending through Xiangzhou District, the Xiangyang Hi-tech Industry Development Zone, Fancheng District, and Xiangcheng District, before terminating south of the Longzhong Interchange in Xiangcheng District—covering a total length of approximately 23 kilometers. The project adopts a renovation-and-expansion strategy centered on the full-width widening of both sides of the mainline, with selected sections incorporating new single-side alignments to accommodate construction requirements. It is designed as a dual-carriageway, eight-lane expressway with a design speed of 120 km/h. The project is under the management of Hubei Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd.’s Xiangchu Construction Company.

The first construction to commence is the Qing River Bridge, which spans the Xiaoqing River along the expressway. The initial pile, labeled No. 1-2 on the right side of Qing River Bridge, has a designed length of 35 meters and a diameter of 1.5 meters and is being installed using rotary drilling.

To ensure the timely drilling of the first pile, Hubei Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd.’s Xiangchu Construction Company conducted thorough planning and meticulous preparations. Before construction, the company completed geohazard assessments, approvals related to wetland parks, ecological redlines, the Hanshui River aquatic germplasm protection area, and environmental impact assessments. They also secured preliminary land use and completed construction drawings for advance works. Meanwhile, it organized multiple special meetings with construction and supervision teams, streamlined work lists, refined objectives, strengthened project organization, and rigorously improved system frameworks to ensure the safe and high-quality execution of the drilling of the first pile.

As a key north-south artery in the national highway network, the expansion and reconstruction of this project is of strategic significance. It will contribute to the “Rise of Central China” initiative, promote the national development strategy of the city clusters along the middle reaches of the Yangtze River, enhance national expressway capacity, advance the high-quality development of Hubei Province’s highway sector, and stimulate local economic growth.

A head from Hubei Communications Investment Group Co., Ltd.’s Xiangchu Construction Company stated that the company will take this milestone as an opportunity to strengthen overall coordination, focus on achieving the goal of a “quality project for a century of safety,” consolidate responsibilities, unite efforts, and accelerate construction progress, thereby injecting strong momentum into the high-quality development of the regional economy.