On August 11th, significant progress was made in the construction of transportation infrastructure in Shandong Province. The bidding plan for investors of the Jinan to Qihe section of the Jinan Yanggu Expressway (hereinafter referred to as the "Jiqi Expressway") will be officially launched in August this year, marking that this important transportation corridor connecting the urban area of Jinan City, Changqing District, and Qihe County in Dezhou City, Shandong Province, is about to enter the substantive construction stage. The total investment estimate for this project is 11.8 billion yuan. After completion, it will completely open up the "southern gate" of Jinan City and inject strong impetus into the integrated development of the Jinan metropolitan area.

It is reported that the Jiqi Expressway has a total length of 42.7 kilometers and is a newly constructed section. The starting point of the route is located at the Shizhong Interchange in Jinan City, Shandong Province. It connects to the main line of the Second Ring West Elevated Road to the north and the Jinan Ring Expressway to the east, achieving interconnectivity with the Jinan expressway network and the national expressway network. The main line extends southward through the central part of Changqing District, Jinan City, turns west in Zhangxia Town, passes through Guide Street, and finally crosses the Yellow River. It connects with the G9911 Jinan Urban Circle Ring Expressway Zhaoguan Shuniu in Qihe County, Dezhou City, and forms a complete road network with the under construction Jinan Yanggu Expressway Qihe Dong'a section.

The construction of this transportation artery has multiple strategic significance: it will directly connect the urban areas of Jinan City, Changqing District, and Qihe County in Dezhou City, Shandong Province; Becoming an important east-west communication channel within the Jinan metropolitan area; Accelerate the efficient flow of regional industries, population, and resources; Provide key transportation support for the "Strong Provincial Capital" strategy.

In terms of engineering technology, the construction of Jiqi Expressway will face multiple challenges:

In terms of bridge engineering, the entire line will construct 2 super major bridges (including the Yellow River super major bridge), 3 major bridges, and 1 medium bridge. Among them, the Yellow River Grand Bridge, as a project control engineering, needs to overcome complex hydrogeological conditions and will become a technical model for cross river engineering.

In terms of tunnel engineering, a total of 3 tunnels have been set up to replace large-scale mountain excavation by tunneling through mountains, maximizing the protection of the ecological environment along the route.

In terms of interchanges, it is planned to construct 6 interchanges (4 hub interchanges+2 general interchanges) and 4 separate interchanges to ensure the maximum radiation effect of the expressway.

In terms of supporting facilities, a section monitoring and communication sub center, maintenance work area, exclusive monitoring station and maintenance station for the Yellow River Grand Bridge, as well as one mainline toll station and two ramp toll stations will be constructed to comprehensively ensure traffic safety and operational efficiency.

The project operates using the Build Operate Transfer (BOT) model, and the winning investor is required to establish a project company that is fully responsible for the planning, financing, construction, operation, debt repayment, and asset management of the project. After the investment and operation period expires, the project company will transfer the main highway project, ancillary facilities, and technical data to the transportation authority free of charge. This model can effectively attract social capital to participate in infrastructure construction and improve project construction and operation efficiency through market-oriented mechanisms.

As a key project in Shandong Province's expressway network planning and Jinan City's "14th Five Year Plan" transportation development plan, the Jiqi Expressway will play multiple benefits after completion: optimizing the regional road network structure and filling the expressway gap between the southwest of Jinan City and Qihe County; Strengthen the transportation connection between Jinan City and the western Shandong region; Promote the integration of resources in areas such as Changqing University City and Qihe Yellow River International Ecological City; Drive the upgrading and development of industries such as tourism, manufacturing, and logistics along the route; Provide transportation support for the spatial layout of the Jinan metropolitan area, which is characterized by being strong in the east, prosperous in the west, South American, starting from the north, and excellent in the middle.

With the start of investor bidding in August, Jiqi Expressway is one step closer to officially starting construction. This transportation artery with a total investment of 11.8 billion yuan will not only be a highway connecting regions in the future, but also an economic link promoting the integrated development of the Jinan metropolitan area. After the completion of the project, it will make important contributions to the construction of a strong transportation province in Shandong Province and inject new vitality into regional economic and social development.(This article is from the official website of Jian Dao www.seetao.com. Reproduction without permission is prohibited, otherwise it will be prosecuted. Please indicate Jian Dao website+original link when reprinting.) Jian Dao website strategy column editor/Yang Beihua