China's Ya'an-Xichang Expressway will be open to traffic in three months

CherrywoodHunter

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244-kilometer-long Ya'an-Xichang (Yaxi) expressway in Sichuan Province of southwestern China will be open to traffic by May 1, 2012. Ya'an-Xichang expressway is the last missing piece of China's G5 National Interstate Highway connecting Beijing and Kunming

.

The 3 billion USD highway project was started by the central government of China in 2007. This project is expected to play a key role in lifting millions of Tibetan, Han, Yi and Muslim Hui people out of poverty. The greatly improved transportation system is also expected to support sustainable economic growth in resource-rich western Sichuan, which is known as the poorest region of China.

More than half (54%) of the highway is tunnels and bridges among mountains. Ganhaizi tunnel is a rarely-seen dual-spiral tunnel. Labajin bridge and Aizhai are among the highest bridges in the world [1].

[video]http://v.youku.com/v_show/id_XMzI4MzQzMjQ4.html[/video]

Flyover and flythrough demo animation of the Ya'an-Xichang expressway


Youtube version (different audio track, low res)







Gallery





Labajin bridge



Ganhaizi bridge




Ganhaizi and Tiezhaizi dual-spiral tunnel



[1] http://highestbridges.com/wiki/index.php?title=List_of_500_Highest_International_ Bridges
 
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Ray

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Most fascinating.

A great engineering feat.



Why the second spiral?

Terrain restrictions?
 

Ray

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When completed, it sure will be a picturesque drive and a great tourist attraction!
 

KS

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Credit must be given where due.

In India not even the land acquisition process would have been completed in 4 years.
 

CherrywoodHunter

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The chief engineer listed a few restrictions that necessitate dual spire tunnels, including soft roadbed on that mountain and very steep terrain (climb 800m over 12km distance so they need more than one helix to reduce road slope).
 

Ray

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The chief engineer listed a few restrictions that necessitate dual spire tunnels, including soft roadbed on that mountain and very steep terrain (climb 800m over 12km distance so they need more than one helix to reduce road slope).
Thanks for the information.

I must compliment those who have surveyed and constructed all this to include caring for the aesthetics.

It is worth praise.

Totally fascinating!

Having traversed many mountain roads including dangerous ones, I always found it a boring journey worth avoiding, if a helicopter was available.

But give me this highway........and I will forsake an air trip!

What a beautiful landscape and what a fantastic highway!

How many lanes?
 
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amoy

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I've been Xichang on a backpacker tour where one of China's 3 Spacecraft Launch Centres is located

But it's reported to be removed to Wenchang of Hainan Island due to lower latitude of Wenchang

 

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