SOEs ramp up inland infrastructure projects

State-owned enterprises focused on infrastructure construction are ramping up efforts nationwide, especially in central inland provinces and with more focus on key livelihood projects, to inject more impetus into the nation's recovery.

China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp Ltd (CR24), a unit of centrally administered China Railway Construction Corp, said its builders have recently installed the first T-shaped beam of a highway bridge on the east ring highway in Fuzhou, Jiangxi province.

"The success of settling the first beam has laid a solid foundation for future construction, as building the bridge is the major part of the whole project," said Chen Bin, project manager with CR24.

"There are many additional challenging tasks with bridge building, such as complicated geological conditions, tube relocation and measurement work in an extreme environment. The installation of the first beam is a valuable experience for the whole project," Chen added.

The east ring highway is a major project initiated by the local government, with a total length of 40.76 kilometers and a designated speed of 100 kilometers per hour. It includes the application of various innovative and tailor-made solutions to guarantee efficient and safe construction, such as the internet of things, artificial intelligence and 3D simulation.

With an investment of 5.74 billion yuan ($823.12 million), the east ring highway project aims to not only facilitate urban trips in Fuzhou but also better link the city and Jiangxi's provincial capital Nanchang.

Apart from highway construction, CR24 said its team completed cap installation for Science Avenue Station, Hefei Metro Line 6, Anhui province, on Saturday, and is readying the station for operation of the urban rail service.

To achieve earlier completion of the station is tough yet worth all the effort as the work not only marks a milestone in the construction of Hefei Metro network, but will also help boost the provincial capital city's future development, said the project manager with CR24 who declined to be named.

With a maximum designated speed of 100 km/h, the accomplishment of Line 6 will facilitate urban trips in the city and bring convenience to residents as the urban rail line is linked to the local railway station, the builders said.

"Central and western regions are seeing more launching of infrastructure projects in recent years, and projects related to livelihood, transportation and rural vitalization are taking a larger proportion of the total. This is a trend beneficial not only to the integrated development of regions but also to the sustainable development of the economy," Wu Weixing, a professor at the University of International Business and Economics, was quoted by People's Daily as saying earlier last week.

China's infrastructure investment increased 8.9 percent year-on-year in the January-November period, data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed. Also, during the first 11 months, the National Development and Reform Commission approved 106 key fixed-asset investment projects worth around 1.5 trillion yuan, indicating the nation's enhanced efforts in the sector.