On June 10, the first PPP expressway in Qinghai Province, Xihai (Haiyan) to Chahanuo Expressway (from now on referred to as "Xicha Expressway"), which was invested by CREC and its subsidiary China Railway City Development & Investment Group Co,.Ltd., was officially operated by China Railway No.2 Group Co., Ltd, China Railway No.5 Engineering Group Co., Ltd, China Railway Tunnel Group Co,.Ltd., China Railway Eryuan Engineering Group Co,.Ltd. and China Railway Material Trade Group Co,.Ltd.. Since then, the expressway network in Qinghai Province has added an east-west high-speed corridor.
The project is located on the edge of Qaidam Basin in the northeast of Qinghai Province and on the north shore of Qinghai Lake, connecting Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture and Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture of Qinghai Province, with a construction mileage of 224 kilometers, intersecting with Chaka-Delingha Expressway and connecting Beijing-Tibet Expressway. The project adopts the two-way four-lane first-class highway's construction standard, with a 100 km/H design speed. It is opposite the Beijing-Tibet Expressway on the south bank of Qinghai Lake across the lake. The time from Haibei Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture to Haixi Mongolian-Tibetan Autonomous Prefecture around the northernmost end of Qinghai Lake will be shortened from 3.5 hours to 2 hours, which will ultimately end the history of no access to expressways in Haiyan County, Gangcha County, and Tianjun County.
Xicha Expressway has the dual functions of trunk highway and tourist highway, which is of great significance to improve the national expressway network, promote economic development, strengthen national unity and social stability, promote local tourism development, and alleviate the transportation pressure of 315 national highway trunk line.
