Establishing an Integrated Roadway System
The Chengdu-Yibin Expressway is one of the pilot projects in Sichuan province that is helping promote integrated development of regional transportation. Located in a mountainous area, the 155-kilometer highway features 154 bridges, four tunnels, 17 interchanges, and five service areas. The roadway initiative aims to establish a safe, convenient, and modern main traffic artery, as well as a model for intelligent, high-speed highway construction in the region. Sichuan Road and Bridge (SRB) was awarded the CNY 24.6 billion engineering, procurement, and construction contract, which required that they integrate artificial intelligence and a cooperative vehicle infrastructure system, follow strict landscape and environmental protection directives, and complete construction within three years.
Digitalizing Workflows, Management, and Production
SRB realized that traditional management methods would be ineffective to overcome the challenges of this large-scale roadway construction project. They faced complex topography and numerous controlled works and structures, compounded by coordinating dozens of subcontractors amid a tight timeline. Therefore, they sought to improve efficiencies by digitalizing workflows, developing a cloud-based construction management platform, and establishing a smart beam fabrication factory system for intelligent steel processing and production. To implement these digital methodologies and enable real-time, smart management practices, they needed to use reality modeling software and a BIM methodology.
Image: Courtesy of Sichuan Road and Bridge (Group) Co., Ltd.
Leveraging Bentley’s Open Applications
SRB leveraged Bentley’s open BIM and reality modeling applications—including OpenRoads and LumenRT—to model, inspect, visualize, and correct traffic line-of-sight problems at the 17 interchanges along the route. Based on Bentley technology, they also developed a construction management platform that helped optimize drawings, coordinate scheduling and work processes, and provide greater visibility into construction methods among the various disciplines. To overcome the inefficiencies in the conventional beam factories, SRB used ProStructures to build a T-beam reinforcement model and imported it into the newly established Bentley-based intelligent beam fabrication factory system. This practice enabled real-time insight into steel processing and production management.
A Smart Highway Model
Using Bentley applications, SRB identified and resolved 14 line-of-sight issues, saving CNY 7 million during operations. The BIM model helped identify more than 103 potential design issues, reducing the cost associated with on-site errors by CNY 4.5 million. By developing the construction management and smart beam information system, they reduced the construction period by 124 days and saved CNY 6 million in production costs. The BIM and reality modeling solutions improved modeling efficiencies by 15% and beam production processes by over 20%. As the first expressway in Chengdu to apply BIM across the entire line, the project sets a new benchmark for smart highways in the region.
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Facts
- SRB was retained to pilot BIM solutions and a cooperative vehicle infrastructure system along the 155-kilometer Chengdu-Yibin Expressway.
- Implementing BIM and reality modeling solutions improved modeling efficiencies by 15%.
- Based on Bentley technology, SRB developed a construction management platform and smart beam factory system to help save CNY 17.5 million on the project.
- Leveraging Bentley applications cut 124 days off the construction period.
“Using [Bentley] BIM technology saved CNY 17.5 million and reduced the construction period, making the whole project more efficient.”
Wang HaiZhu
Project Leader
Sichuan Road and Bridge (Group) Co., Ltd.
Image: Courtesy of Sichuan Road and Bridge (Group) Co., Ltd.