State builders working on a highway linking inland cities in Sichuan and Gansu provinces report steady progress on a major tunnel in Nanchong, Sichuan province.

China Railway 24th Bureau Group Corp (CR24G), a unit of China Railway Construction Corp, said in a recent construction progress report that it is partly undertaking the building of the Langzhong-Yingshan expressway, and has recently bored through the right lane of the Binzishan tunnel in mountainous Nanchong, Sichuan province.

With the construction location in a mountain bringing many construction challenges, the builder said the progress marks a solid step providing a reference for the following construction in the mountainous region toward its scheduled operation in 2026.

The Langzhong-Yingshan expressway aims to promote connections between inland provinces, especially with Gansu and Shaanxi, as the northern end of the expressway is connected to another tunnel linking Longnan, Gansu.

China's fixed-asset investment rose 3.4 percent year on year in the first eight months of 2024, data from the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) showed recently.

The investment totaled 32.94 trillion yuan (about $4.64 trillion) during the period, the NBS said in a statement.

Investment in infrastructure construction rose 4.4 percent from a year ago during the January-August period, and manufacturing investment increased 9.1 percent.