The Xianggelila to Lijiang section of the Xiangli Expressway, jointly constructed by three ministries, is now fully open.

At 24:00 on May 21, the Shangri-La to Lijiang Expressway (Diqing section), in which the Third Engineering Project Department participated, officially opened to traffic and began toll collection. Vehicles traveling from Shangri-La to Lijiang can now travel the entire length of the Shangri-La to Lijiang Expressway. The Third Engineering Project Department undertook the construction of the power supply and lighting projects for all tunnels, toll stations, and service areas along the expressway.

The main line of the Shangri-La to Lijiang Expressway is 124.68 kilometers long, with 37 kilometers from K48 to K85, and a bridge-tunnel ratio of 98%. The Tiger Leaping Gorge Jinsha River super-large bridge has a main span of 766 meters, making it the largest span of its type in the world.

Among them, the landscape lighting construction of the Jinsha River Bridge presented the greatest construction difficulty and the highest technical difficulty. It required the installation of aviation obstruction lights at the top of the main tower, 153.3 meters above the ground; the installation of floodlights at the connection points of the main cable and each suspender; and the installation of railings on both sides of the bridge deck, 48.2 meters above the Jinsha River. The lighting project, based on energy saving and environmental protection, uses energy-efficient, long-lasting, and energy-saving LED lights. The project department overcame the challenges of high-altitude operations and efficiently completed the bridge and all tunnel lighting work.

After the official opening of the Shangri-La to Lijiang Expressway (Diqing section), the travel time from Lijiang to Shangri-La will be further shortened, building a fast track for high-quality development in Diqing Prefecture. The project department has completed various node targets with high quality and quantity, delivering a satisfactory result to the owner and general contractor.

[Third Engineering Department/Liu Xingxin Editor/Hu Hengjin]