Recently, the largest diameter double shield hard rock tunneling machine developed independently by China, the Yuexi, was launched in Sichuan. Its excavation diameter reaches 13.01 meters, and the total weight of the machine exceeds 3500 tons. It is equipped with a full process intelligent construction system and can flexibly cope with complex working conditions such as large deformation of soft rocks and fault fracture zones. It will be put into use for the construction of the Yuexi Tunnel on the Jinkouhe Xichang Expressway.

The Yuexi Tunnel, with a total length of about 18.4 kilometers, is a controlling project of the Jinxi Expressway. Jinxi Expressway is a fast connecting line of G5 Jingkun Expressway, G7611 Duxiang Expressway, etc. After completion and opening, it will end the history of Ganluo, Yuexi, and Xide counties not being connected to highways.Editor/Gong Ziwei