The National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas, an embodied achievement of the University in powering innovation system development in the region, shoulders the responsibility of enhancing the capability for independent innovation of the region. In the afternoon of June 28, 2020, Xiong Xue, Deputy Mayor of Chongqing Municipality and Secretary of Party Working Committee of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, together with accompanying persons, visited Shuangfu Campus of Chongqing Jiaotong University and attended the opening ceremony for the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas. Ling Fan, Deputy Director of the Municipal Executive Office, Xu Hongbin, Secretary of the Party Committee and director of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, Xu Qing, grade-1 inspector of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, Qin Zhengjie, full-time Deputy Secretary of Chongqing Municipal Commission of Education, Chen Zhongzhu, member of Party Working Committee of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone and Deputy Director of Management Committee, Meng Hua, Director of Science and Technology Branch of Chongqing Municipal Transportation Bureau as well as all home-staying leaders of the University attended the opening ceremony. Zhou Jianting, Vice President of the University, presided over the ceremony.

Li Tian’an, Secretary of the Party Committee of Chongqing Jiaotong University, sincerely welcomed the visit to the University by Deputy Mayor Xiong Xue and the accompanying persons on behalf of the university and expressed heartfelt thanks to the Management Committee of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, Chongqing Municipal Commission of Education, Chongqing Municipal Transportation Bureau and other municipal authorities which have cared for, instructed and supported the University for a long time. Li Tian’an said that the opening of the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas marked a historical breakthrough made by the University in scientific and technological innovation, a solid step of the University onto a national new platform in construction of discipline and profession and a steady walk onto a leapfrog journey in innovation-driven development. It also showed the consciousness of the University in implementing national strategies and participating in economic and social development of Chongqing, especially in building the Western China (Chongqing) Science City, which was a glorious mission and unshirkable responsibility of Chongqing Jiaotong University.

Li Tian’an introduced the ideas and initiatives for further development of the University depending on national platforms including the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas, promising that the University would make every effort and utilize every resource of intelligence to build the laboratory from a high starting point, up to a high standard and achieving high quality, and that the University would amount to something new in intelligence-oriented development of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone and the Science City and achieving new breakthroughs in building national strength in transportation, the Large-Scale Development of Western China, Chengdu-Chongqing Economic Zone, the Sichuan-Tibet Railway and other key strategies, major projects and important works.

Xu Qing, grade-1 inspector of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, read out official documents and presented an appointment letter to Zhou Jianting, Director of the Laboratory. Zhou Jianting, Vice President of the University and director of the Laboratory, made a detailed report on the purpose of building, objectives and missions, direction of research and main research content, team and capability building, organizational structure and operational management as well as funding and guaranteeing measures of the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas, requesting that leaders and experts attending the opening ceremony support sound progress of the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas in a comprehensive and all-aspect way.

Xiong Xue, Deputy Mayor of Chongqing Municipality and Secretary of Party Working Committee of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Xu Hongbin, Director of Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, Li Tian’an, Secretary of the Party Committee of Chongqing Jiaotong University and Tang Boming, President of Chongqing Jiaotong University, jointly hosted the official opening for the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas.

It is understood that the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas (Cultivation Base) was officially approved by the Ministry of Science and Technology in 2010 and included into the Program on National Key Laboratories Jointly Built by Chongqing Municipality and the Ministry of Science and Technology. The Laboratory is led by Zhou Jianting, Changjiang Scholar and distinguished professor, assuming the main task of conducting research on structural behaviors and control of bridges in mountainous areas, intelligent monitoring and maintenance of bridges in mountainous areas and mechanical behaviors and operational safety of tunnels in mountainous areas on the basis of the complicated environment and conditions for traffic infrastructure construction in mountainous areas.

The Laboratory will focus on how to construct bridges and prevent and control disasters in places where the topography and terrain are dangerously steep, geological environment is complicated, climate conditions are unfavorable and natural disasters occur frequently, how to guarantee safety and durability of bridges in an environment with sharp differences in temperature/humidity, high content of salt and alkali and strong UV, and how to construct and operate tunnels safely in an environment with extreme cold, high earth temperature, high water pressure, high seismic intensity and high geostress. At present, the Laboratory has cumulatively invested more than CNY 250 million, developed a test site with an area over 20,000m² and established an internationally advanced mountainous-area bridge and tunnel structural environment/comprehensive load test platform and a domestically advanced tunnel and underground structure 3D modeling platform. In the recent 5 years, the Laboratory has successively undertaken nearly 280 scientific research projects (including 58 national projects) and won 3 second prizes for National Prize for Progress in Science and Technology.

Zhou Jianting mentioned that, in the future, the Laboratory will continue to build up scientific research capabilities, including an internationally advanced large-span arch bridge test platform, an active wind tunnel test platform for bridges, etc., complete the construction of a high-end test platform for bridges and tunnels in mountainous areas, introduce and cultivate 4-6 academicians or other high-level talents and build three high-level innovation teams to both theoretically and technically support 9 nos. of new world-top major bridge and tunnel projects, continuously carry out scientific and technological innovation and maintain China’s leading role in arch bridge construction, and ultimately provide key support for construction, operation and maintenance of traffic infrastructures in mountainous areas.

After the opening ceremony, Deputy Mayor Xiong Xue and the accompanying persons, together with the leaders and experts attending the ceremony, visited the National Key Laboratory for Bridge and Tunnel Projects in Mountainous Areas (the Bridge Experiment Building, the Tunnel Experiment Building) and the National Inland Waterway Regulation Engineering Technology Research Center (the Chaotianmen-Fuling River Section 4.5m Water Depth Lifting Project Test Base, the Three Gorges New Waterway Transportation Channel Test Base) to find out more about platforms of the Laboratory and achievements having been made by the University.

Leaders and staff of the Management Committee of Chongqing High-Tech Industrial Development Zone, Chongqing Science and Technology Bureau, Chongqing Municipal Commission of Education, Chongqing Municipal Transportation Bureau, department leaders and school principals of the Universities attended the opening ceremony and witnessed the official opening.