Recently, the Huixian Weihui section of the County to Juancheng (Henan Shandong border) expressway project has officially entered the preparatory stage for construction, with a total investment of 6.49 billion yuan. After completion, it will become an important transportation link connecting Henan and Shandong provinces, further improving the regional expressway network layout.

The project starts in Jitun Town, Huixian City, and connects to the existing expressway. It passes through Tangzhuang Town, Jishui Town and other areas in Weihui City, and ends at the border between Henan and Shandong provinces. The total length of the route is about 45 kilometers, and it is constructed according to the standard of a two-way four lane expressway with a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The core construction content of the project includes 38 bridges, 2 tunnels, 6 interchanges, and the simultaneous construction of supporting facilities such as service areas and toll stations. The expected construction period is 3 years.

As a key component of the cross provincial passage between Henan and Shandong, the project will significantly shorten the time and space distance between Huixian, Weihui, and Juancheng in Shandong after completion, achieving rapid access between the two places within one hour. At the same time, the project will connect industrial parks, tourist attractions, and agricultural product production areas along the route, helping to facilitate the flow of regional resources and promote coordinated development of industries, injecting transportation momentum into the high-quality economic and social development of the border area between Henan and Shandong. At present, the preliminary work of land acquisition and demolition, as well as the entry of construction units, has been carried out in an orderly manner.

To ensure the efficient progress of the project, the construction unit will adopt intelligent construction technology and build a BIM digital twin management platform to monitor key processes such as bridge erection and tunnel excavation in real time, ensuring project quality and construction safety. Based on the characteristics of the terrain and landforms along the route, the project will simultaneously implement ecological protection engineering, reduce the impact of construction on the surrounding ecological environment through measures such as slope greening and soil and water conservation facilities construction, and achieve coordinated promotion of transportation construction and ecological protection.

During the project construction period, it is expected to create over 2000 job opportunities, with priority given to absorbing labor from towns and villages along the route to participate in construction, and improving the professional abilities of employed personnel through skill training. After its opening, it will not only improve the "well" shaped expressway network in northern Henan, but also strengthen the transportation connection between the Central Plains Economic Zone and the Shandong Peninsula Blue Economic Zone, promote the integrated development of tourism, agriculture, manufacturing and other industries along the route, and provide solid transportation support for rural revitalization and regional coordinated development in the border area of Henan and Shandong. At present, the project construction drawing design, material and equipment procurement and other work are steadily progressing, and the plan is to complete and open to traffic by the end of 2026.Editor/Bian Wenjun