Construction Begins on Two 15-Kilometer-Class Tunnels of the Kuitun–Dushanzi–Kuqa Expressway in Xinjiang, China

en.Wedoany.com Reported - On October 9, new construction progress was made on the G3033 Kuitun–Dushanzi–Kuqa Expressway in Xinjiang, China. The Kezhayi Tunnel and the Yuximolegai Tunnel in the North Tianshan section successfully broke through into the mountain, officially launching the main tunneling construction. The two tunnels are 15.025 kilometers and 15.493 kilometers long, respectively, and are key control projects crossing the North Tianshan along the entire route, serving the important function of connecting the north–south transportation corridor across the Tianshan Mountains.

The Kezhayi Tunnel is located within Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture, with a maximum burial depth of approximately 1,652 meters; the Yuximolegai Tunnel spans Ili Kazakh Autonomous Prefecture and Bayingolin Mongol Autonomous Prefecture, with a maximum burial depth of approximately 1,355 meters. Both tunnels must pass through the main range of the Tianshan Mountains. In the construction area, extreme winter temperatures can reach minus 40 degrees Celsius, and the route involves more than 20 geological fracture zones, with adverse geological conditions such as rockbursts, large deformation of soft rock, high-pressure water inflow, and harmful gases.

The two tunnels are provided with a total of 4 sites and 7 construction inclined shafts. Through the inclined shafts, multiple main tunnel working faces are opened up, and segmented excavation is organized. The project adopts the fully mechanized drill-and-blast method, equipped with mechanized equipment for drilling, support, and shotcrete, to advance tunnel excavation and initial support construction. The project also includes vertical shaft auxiliary works and arranges work organization and safety monitoring according to the surrounding rock conditions of different construction sections.

During construction, the construction team combined mechanized equipment with artificial intelligence large-model technology to carry out advanced geological assessment and intelligent blasting design, and to connect the data links between construction equipment. Through the coordination of geological prediction, drill-and-blast parameter design, and construction equipment operation data, the project organizes tunnel excavation under complex geological conditions.

The G3033 Kuitun–Dushanzi–Kuqa Expressway starts in the north at Kuitun City, connects with the G30 Lianyungang–Khorgos Expressway, passes through Dushanzi, Wusu, Nilka, Xinyuan, Hejing, and other places, and ends in the south at Kuqa City, connecting with the G3012 Turpan–Hotan Expressway. It has a total length of approximately 393 kilometers and is built to the standard of a two-way, four-lane expressway. The project is planned with a construction period of 7 years. Once completed, it will form an all-weather expressway corridor across the Tianshan Mountains, and the travel time from Kuitun to Kuqa is expected to be shortened from about 14 hours to 4 hours.