Volvo pavers resurface desert highway

Four Volvo pavers are being used to renew the surface of China’s first desert expressway – stretching through more than 134 km of barren land to the borders of Inner-Mongolia.

Completed in 2003 to connect Yulin city with Manggaitu across the Ordos desert, the Yulin-Jingbian Expressway cost CNY 416 million (US$ 50 million) when it was first built. Now the Shaanxi Expressway Group has awarded the contract to the Second Expressway Engineering Bureau of China Communications Construction Company Ltd. (CCCC) to complete a two-year asphalt resurfacing project running through 160 km of barren desert.

The contractor has started work on the project using two Volvo P8820 tracked asphalt pavers and two Volvo DD118 double smooth drum rollers for work on the 24 m wide road.

“We use Volvo Construction Equipment because it ensures excellent road quality, and if our customers need 24 hour service, Volvo and its agents offer a specially formulated maintenance plan with an excellent warranty,” said Bai Feiyang, CCCC’s section chief manager of operations.

To enhance the road’s environmental value, a manmade ‘green ribbon’ of vegetation runs parallel to the expressway – to protect the road surface from sand dunes being blown onto the road by all too common gale-force winds that ravage the desert. To block off the elements, this area covers more than 100,000 m² being artificially greened with aerial seeding and planted with more than 60,000 trees, 28 million shrubs, flowers and grasses.

“We are up against the clock on this project,” said Mr Bai. “Working in the middle of the desert can sometimes cause logistical difficulties and we have less than two years to complete the asphalt paving. Knowing that we have the best Volvo machines on site makes me feel positive about hitting the deadline, as well as delivering excellent road quality.”

Volvo CE’s dealer for the region, Xi'an Tongguan Construction Machinery Co. Ltd. (XATG), has provided a service plan for all Volvo machines onsite, and has a representative from the dealership working with the construction team at all times to ensure the machines’ productivity and efficiency.