On January 6, 2026, the construction of the Anhui River transportation network received another major boost, and the total investment of approximately 4.8 billion yuan for the S28 Liyang Wuhu Expressway from Wanluo to Sanshan officially launched the bidding for franchisees. The project starts from Wanluo District, Wuhu City, passes through Jinghu District and Yijiang District, and ends at Sanshan Economic Development Zone, with a total length of about 24.85 kilometers. After completion, it will further improve the layout of the Anhui Southeast Expressway network and strengthen regional connectivity.

This bidding specifies that the project will be constructed using the technical standards of a two-way four lane expressway, with a roadbed width of 27 meters and a design speed of 120 kilometers per hour. The construction difficulty of the project is quite high, with a bridge tunnel ratio of 63.88% along the entire line. A total of 32 bridges are planned to be built, with a total length of 15875 meters, including 6 super large bridges, 13 large bridges, and 13 medium bridges. At the same time, 2 interchanges, 1 management sub center, and 1 maintenance work area will be built as supporting facilities, with an average cost of about 193 million yuan per kilometer of highway.

According to the bidding announcement, the project will be promoted through a franchise model, and the winning bidder needs to establish a project company to be fully responsible for the entire lifecycle of the project, including investment, financing, survey and design, construction, operation management, and maintenance. The project company will obtain multiple operational rights, including toll collection rights, operation rights of service facilities along the route, and advertising operation rights. The Wuhu Municipal Government encourages the winning bidder to legally expand the road economy within the designated area, and the related operating income will belong to the project company.

In terms of fundraising, the project capital is set at 20% of the estimated total investment amount, and must be the self owned funds of the winning bidder. It is strictly prohibited to illegally contribute debt funds such as "visible shares but actual debts" and shareholder loans. The construction funds outside of capital are independently raised by the project company, and the Wuhu Municipal Government does not provide fixed rates of return, basic traffic volume, or other fallback guarantees. The project's revenue mainly relies on users paying during the operation period to recover costs and obtain reasonable returns. The toll fee standards will be strictly implemented in accordance with the national and Anhui provincial policies of the same period, and the final charging period will be subject to the approval of the provincial government.

After the completion of the project, it will become a key transportation link connecting Liyang and Wuhu, significantly shortening the time and space distance between Wanluo District and Sanshan Economic Development Zone, and accelerating the process of integrated development of Wuhu city. At the same time, the project will strengthen the linkage between the southeastern Anhui region and the core cities of the Yangtze River Delta, provide efficient transportation support for industrial parks, logistics hubs, and tourist attractions along the route, and help promote high-quality regional economic development. Industry insiders pointed out that the franchise bidding for this project is an important practice for Anhui to deepen the reform of the investment and financing system for transportation infrastructure, and will provide a new model for social capital to participate in transportation construction.Editor/Bian Wenjun