The Leshan-Xichang Expressway with a total investment of more than 63.6 billion yuan is about 320 kilometers long. It is designed as a two-way four-lane road and runs through the main settlements of the Yi ethnic group. It is my country's first rich channel and eco-tourism channel into the hinterland of Liangshan Mountain. The Lexi Expressway crosses the Hengduan Mountains of the Qinghai-Tibet Plateau, climbing from the mountains in southwestern Sichuan at an altitude of more than 600 meters to a plateau meadow at an altitude of more than 2,000 meters. The height difference of the line is 1,450 meters, and the proportion of bridges and tunnels is as high as 82%. The route passes through the natural ecological protection area, the microclimate changeable area, there is no road, no electricity, no communication, the geological conditions are quite complicated, and the construction technology difficulty is extremely rare in the domestic mountainous expressway.

A full-line throat control project with the participation of the China Railway Eighteenth Bureau Group-15.3 kilometers long Daliangshan No. 1 tunnel is the longest highway tunnel in southwest my country. The tunnel passes through Mamize Natural at an altitude of nearly 4000 meters. In the protected area, the ecological environment is fragile, and the project is facing severe challenges. According to the design requirements, the builders of the China Railway Eighteenth Bureau used TBM roadheaders in the construction of Lexi Expressway, which not only can effectively reduce safety risks and protect the surrounding environment, but also can shorten the conventional construction period from 6 to 7 years to 2 This is also the first application of TBM in domestic expressway construction in half a year.

It is understood that Lexi Expressway is known as the "Millennium Waiting for One Road", which is the expectation of several generations of the 2 million Yi nationality compatriots in Daliangshan, Sichuan. After the Lexi Expressway is completed and opened to traffic in 2025, it will be connected to many national trunk lines such as Chengyu, Jingkun, and Rongli. It will not only completely end the history of the three counties of Zhaojue, Meigu, and Leibo in Liangshan prefecture with no expressway access, but also The travel time from Zhaojue, Meigu, and Leibo to Chengdu will be shortened from more than 10 hours now to 4 hours. The Lexi Expressway will further strengthen the interconnection between the ethnic minority areas in western Sichuan and the Chengdu-Chongqing Shuangcheng Economic Circle, and become the fastest transportation route for the 2 million Yi nationality compatriots in Dashan and Liangshan to walk out of the Dashan Mountain to a well-off society. This will help consolidate and expand the achievements in poverty alleviation in Liangshan Prefecture. Rural revitalization and cultural exchanges with foreign countries will play a very important role in achieving common prosperity for the people of all ethnic groups. Editor/Wang Jiangwen