Big progress made in Guizhou smart highway construction

Work continues at a brisk pace at the project site. [Photo/Guiyang news network]

A major milestone was reached in Guizhou province's transport infrastructure on May 22, with the installation of the first prefabricated T-beam on the Luojiaba Bridge – located in the Guiyang-Anshun section of the Shanghai-Kunming High-speed Railway expansion project.

The project, spanning 90.722 kilometers, connects Guiyang – capital of Southwest China's Guizhou province – to Anshun city, also in Guizhou, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour. 

The latest development is said to mark a significant step forwards, as the construction transitions from the bridge's substructure to its superstructure.

The Luojiaba Bridge, part of the expansion project's 11th section, spans 11.939 km, with bridges accounting for a whopping 33.8 percent of the entire section. In all, a total of 1,796 prefabricated T-beams are required for the project.

To ensure its successful installation, the project team meticulously planned the construction process of the first T-beam – conducting thorough inspections and adjustments of specialized equipment such as gantry cranes, bridge erecting machines and beam transport vehicles.

They also provided technical briefings and emergency response training for the workers. During the installation, management, technical staff and safety personnel closely monitored the process to ensure the T-beam was placed accurately and securely.

On completion, the project is forecast to significantly contribute to Guizhou's transportation network, as well as its economic development, poverty alleviation efforts, rural vitalization and the development of Gui'an New Area.

An exciting aspect of the Gui'an expansion project is widely said to be its transformation into Guizhou's first smart highway.

The smart highway will integrate advanced technologies such as fiber optics communications networks, 5G/LTE-V, the internet of things and DSRC.

This will enable the intelligent monitoring of infrastructure, traffic management, environmental sensing and enhanced travel services.