湖北日報訊 （記者李仁璽、 通訊員王志淩）4月8日，襄陽至宜昌高速公路宜昌段又有新進展，全線關鍵控制性工程之一的長坂坡特長隧道掘進突破6000米大關，距離隧道的全面貫通更近一步。

The Changbanpo extra-long tunnel of Xiangyi Expressway is located in Dangyang City, with a total length of 8365 meters. At the project site, the machinery continued to roar, a number of large equipment were working, and the workers seized the construction period and carried out the construction in the tunnel in an orderly manner.

According to the relevant person in charge of the 5 standard project department of Xiangyi Expressway of China Railway 12th Bureau, during the construction of the tunnel, it faces challenges such as karst, shallow burial bias and crossing the fault zone of the Tongcheng River, especially the tunnel exit and inclined shaft reverse slope construction, the overall geological conditions are extremely complex, and the construction difficulty and safety risks are at a high level.

In order to ensure that the project is carried out on time, according to quality and safety, the project department actively implements smart construction, and the intelligent control center has been put into use. "With this platform, we can visualize the safety, progress, personnel and equipment positioning in the tunnel in 3D," says Dang Yuhao, the project safety manager, who helps them understand the construction situation on site.

襄陽至宜昌高速公路專案全長約143公里，總投資約246億元，是連接襄陽、宜昌、川渝城市群的高速通道，也是湖北省“十四五”規劃高速公路重點專案。

The Yichang section of Xiangyi Expressway is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 5 years, when the travel time from Xiangyang to Yichang will be shortened from 0 hours to 0.0 hours, which will strongly promote the coordinated development of the regional economy of the two places and add another boost to the "Golden Triangle" of Han Xiangyi.