On the construction access road near the Three Gorges Dam area in Yichang, construction vehicles shuttle back and forth. The main land area of the temporary wharf of Gezhouba has just been completed, and the construction of the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel Project has been fully launched.

As the first major national landmark project during the 15th Five Year Plan period, the project has officially transitioned from early preparation to large-scale construction. The total investment of 77.208 billion yuan is being transformed into tangible earthwork, concrete, and continuously released construction orders on the construction site, driving the entire infrastructure industry chain into a new project cycle.

As of mid September 2026, the progress of the preliminary excavation area of the project has exceeded half, the supporting Wayaoping sand and gravel processing system has been put into operation first, the first 35 kV power relocation line has been connected to the grid, and the on-site construction pace is continuously accelerating.

Launch of a large-scale project

The total static investment of the project is about 77.208 billion yuan, with a total excavation volume of about 160 million cubic meters of earth and stone, exceeding the total excavation volume of the Three Gorges Project, and a total concrete pouring volume of about 10 million cubic meters. The project includes two parts: the Three Gorges Hub New Channel and the Gezhouba Shipping Capacity Expansion, with a total construction period of 112 months, of which the Gezhouba Shipping Capacity Expansion Project has a construction period of 95 months.

The main body of the temporary wharf in Gezhouba has been completed, and together with the temporary wharf in Zhaojiagou and the slag yard in Citangwan, it forms a complete logistics and transportation system, connecting the two core channels of building materials entering the site and waste soil transportation, laying a solid foundation for subsequent large-scale construction.

Synchronized release of demand across the entire industry chain

The excavation of over 160 million cubic meters of earth and stone means that a large-scale construction system must be established for the entire chain of excavation, transportation, and waste disposal, directly driving the continuous investment of large excavators, heavy-duty transport vehicles, and tunnel excavation equipment. The demand for 10 million cubic meters of concrete pouring will drive the upgrading of resource allocation in all aspects such as sand and gravel aggregates, cement supply, mixing station layout, and temperature control construction. Only the supporting Wayaoping sand and gravel processing system has achieved full load operation and can stably supply the aggregate production capacity required for engineering construction. Subsequent specialized engineering orders worth billions of yuan will be released in the fields of ship lock metal structure, mechanical and electrical equipment installation, and channel dredging.

The 15th Five Year Plan infrastructure enters the implementation cycle

The full commencement of this project marks the official start of investment transmission to the construction end of a batch of major national infrastructure projects that were previously in the planning and approval stage. Unlike ordinary short-term projects, this project will continue to provide stable project support for water conservancy and hydropower construction, foundation treatment, heavy equipment manufacturing, and other fields during the nearly 10-year construction period. The related engineering enterprises will have clear incremental space for new contracts, output value release, and equipment utilization in the following years.

Yichang will also form a new engineering service and material supply industry cluster around project supporting facilities, driving the overall upgrading of regional infrastructure supporting capabilities.

From the excavation of foundation pits along the river to the construction camps laid out along the river, the Three Gorges Water Transport New Channel is not only a new shipping channel, but also a landmark starting point for major infrastructure construction after the start of the 15th Five Year Plan. The investment of 77.2 billion yuan is gradually transmitted along the industrial chain, driving dozens of segmented industries upstream and downstream into a construction cycle of nearly ten years.Editor/Cheng Liting