Tunnelling project under Micang Mountain

Equipment from XCMG has played an important role in the excavation of a new tunnel link underneath the Micang Mountain in China. The project to build the right-hand bore for the Micang Mountain tunnel on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Expressway has taken 54 months to complete. The tunnel was needed as the Micang Mountain has been a barrier to direct transportation at the junction of Hanzhong and Bazhong. This has blocked the major transport route between Sichuan and Shaanxi, preventing traffic flows across the reg
October 15, 2018 Read time: 2 mins
Roadheaders from XCMG carried out the tunnel excavation work
Equipment from 2490 XCMG has played an important role in the excavation of a new tunnel link underneath the Micang Mountain in China.


The project to build the right-hand bore for the Micang Mountain tunnel on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Expressway has taken 54 months to complete.

The tunnel was needed as the Micang Mountain has been a barrier to direct transportation at the junction of Hanzhong and Bazhong. This has blocked the major transport route between Sichuan and Shaanxi, preventing traffic flows across the region. Now that the 13.8km long Micang Mountain Tunnel is complete, there is a direct route that will cut journey times substantially.

Now that the project is complete, this is the third longest road tunnel in the world, and the longest in China. The tunnel on the Sichuan-Shaanxi Expressway will slash the travel time for travelling around the Micang Mountain from four hours to just 30 minutes now that drivers can go directly underneath.

Inaccessibility of the site provided the biggest challenge to the construction workers as the construction work was carried out in an area that was difficult to access. However, there were many other challenges also including tropical rain, highly stressed rock conditions and high concentrations of dangerous gases.

The rare brittle rock mass in the high geostress area that the Micang Mountain Tunnel traverses has a high risk of rock bursts, landslides, fractures, cracks and even cave-ins. To maximise safety, this required real-time monitoring of the rock conditions throughout the construction operation. In addition, toxic gases released during tunnel excavation operations required workers to wear safety gear, adding to discomfort for personnel.


In order to overcome these difficulties and speed the construction work, mechanised cutting was selected as the main tunnelling method at the start of the project. XCMG’s Railway Equipment Division sent its two triple boom drilling jumbos to the project contractor: First Project Department under China Railway Engineering Group to assist in the tunneling operation. XCMG also supplied the mechanised cutting equipment that carried out the majority of the tunnel driving work. Both the drill jumbo and the roadheader machines performed reliably, despite the tough conditions, helping to ensure that the work was completed successfully.

Earthmoving & soil compaction

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • What lies beneath Down Under
    January 11, 2021
    The third and final construction stage on Sydney’s WestConnex project has begun, including the underground Rozelle Interchange – with a lot of help from Komatsu
    Read More
  • Presidio Parkway: the Golden Gate Bridge’s new southern approach road
    May 29, 2013
    Work on the Presidio Parkway, a new breathtaking and eco-friendly southern approach road to San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge, has entered its crucial second and final phase. As Guy Woodford reports, the vital US$1 billion project has overcome legal as well as environmental challenges to stay on course for its expected 2016 completion Just after 9pm on Friday April 27, 2012 a large public crowd looked on excitedly as a fleet of more than 40 R&L Brosamer and Ferma Corporation deployed hydraulic demolition h
    Read More
  • Liebherr and Sandvik add to machine fleets for construction operations in Germany
    February 9, 2017
    For more than six months, German contractor Jens Weiss has been using Sandvik’s new surface drilling rig Ranger DX800, with noted low fuel consumption per metre drilled. The Ranger DX800 is a hydraulic, self-propelled, self-contained, crawler-type surface drilling rig. It is equipped with Sandvik-designed safety features to bring it into line with EU standard EN 16228. Typical applications are road cutting, pipeline drilling and foundation drilling, as well as production drilling in medium-size quarries.
    Read More
  • Bridges and tunnels tackle congestion problems
    February 29, 2012
    In preparation for the 2014 Olympic Winter Games, the Black Sea health resort of Sotschi, Russia, is tackling its growing traffic jam problems.A 13km bypass and a new main road passing mainly under the city involves the construction of 15 tunnels and a number of bridges and flyovers.
    Read More

Highlighted Content