The China Civil Engineering Society recently revealed the first batch of projects winning the 20^th Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize. Among the honorees was the Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway, constructed by Guangzhou Municipal Construction Group Co., Ltd. (GMC). This project is one of the three nominees in Guangdong Province. Established in 1999, Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize is a highly-regarded recognition program spanning railway, transportation, water conservancy, and large-scale civil construction fields. It stands as the most prestigious honor for scientific and technological innovation within China’s civil engineering industry and is awarded on an annual basis.

 ▲Shortlist of Tien-yow Jeme Civil Engineering Prize
 

The Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway is a crucial north-south artery within the national road network. Spanning a total length of 302 kilometers, it boasts an investment of RMB 34.552 billion. The thoroughfare includes a vast network of infrastructure, such as 233 bridges measuring 73 kilometers in total and 28 tunnels stretching 36 kilometers collectively.

The General Engineering Contracting Branch of Guangzhou Municipal Engineering Group under GMC constructed the T30 segment of the Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway, which is situated in Huashan Town, Huadu District. The project had a total investment of RMB 513 million and spans a total length of 2.91 kilometers. The primary objective of the construction was to facilitate hub interconnectivity among the Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway, Zhaoqing–Huadu Expressway, and Airport Expressway North Extension (Huashan North Interchange).

 ▲Huashan North Interchange
 

The Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway is a trailblazer in China, having implemented an innovative method of integrated management for large-scale and complex expressway projects. Specifically designed for double-track expressways in mountainous regions, this project has created a comprehensive safety guarantee technology system that is unparalleled. Additionally, the project boasts the first-ever mountainous expressway design system, which prioritizes intensive land use, optimal land utilization, and water resources protection and optimal utilization. This project has also spearheaded the development of anchor cable equipment and an automatic monitoring and early warning system oriented for the safety and durability monitoring of slopes. The country’s first intelligent cooperative vehicle-infrastructure system for expressway road transportation has been implemented on this expressway.

The General Engineering Contracting Branch of Guangzhou Municipal Engineering Group has achieved significant advancements in construction and project management. These include (1) developing a mature, practical, and reliable karst cave treatment technology by combining high-pressure rotary jet grouting pile curtain with single-layer steel casing installation; (2) researching and developing an integral mobile safety protection platform for bent cap operation; and (3) applying advanced scientific and technological achievements, such as pile foundation construction technique of bridge widening under bead-type karst cave areas. With a total of 33 scientific and technological achievements, including awards, construction methods, patents, standards, papers, and monographs, the project has reached the leading level among similar projects in China.

 ▲ Lechang–Guangzhou Expressway
 

The Lechang-Guangzhou Expressway has significantly improved the traffic capacity of the northern Guangdong section, resolving freezing disasters along the section and contributing to the economic growth of the region. The expressway has also played a crucial role in driving the comprehensive output of the derived economic industry to exceed RMB 100 billion, accelerating the coordinated regional development of Guangdong.

Source: Zhong Biyuan, Guangzhou Municipal Group Co., Ltd.

Edited and released by: Li Zhaowen and Long Kun, Party-Masses Work Department of the Group

Released by: Zhang Xiaoying, Group Office