Within the global architecture, engineering, and construction industry, the use of Building Information Modeling (BIM) technology has significantly expanded. However, given the unique characteristics of road infrastructure, the application of BIM technology is still being explored. This article focuses on the Yuanchen Expressway, exploring innovative applications of BIM technology in comprehensive construction management. The project employs advanced technologies, including BIM, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and the Internet of Things (IoT), to precisely identify critical nodes and breakthroughs. Supported by a detailed BIM model and a multi-level, diversified digital management platform, the project effectively addresses construction challenges in multiple tunnels, bridges, and complex interchanges, achieving intelligent construction innovation throughout the Yuanchen Expressway with BIM technology. By guiding construction through BIM models, utilizing a BIM+GIS-based management cloud platform system, and employing VR safety briefings, the project effectively reduces the difficulty of communication and coordination in project management, shortens the project measurement cycle, improves on-site work efficiency, and ensures comprehensive control and safety management. This article provides an exemplary case for the application of full-line construction management using BIM technology in the highway sector both in China and globally, offering new perspectives and strategies for highway construction management.

This paper introduces a new type of steel-concrete composite pylon that has been applied to Nanjing Fifth Yangtze River Bridge (a three-pylon cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 600 m). For this new type of pylon, the steel shells are connected with concrete through PBL shear connectors and studs, and the inner steel shells are connected with the outer steel shells by angle steels. Numerical analysis and full-scale model tests show that the pylon structure exhibits excellent mechanical properties and construction performance. The application of BIM technology, the research and development of special spreaders and construction platforms ensure the precise installation of structures. Highly factory-manufactured modular assembly of the reinforced steel shell structure can effectively reduce the intensity and difficulty of on-site operations, and improve the quality of the project, with low construction risks. Whereas, the successful application of this steel-concrete-steel sandwich composite pylon marks the formation of a complete set of construction technology of steel-concrete-steel sandwich composite pylon, which can be widely used in similar bridges.

Automated crack detection is vital for structural maintenance in areas such as construction, roads, and bridges. Accurate crack detection allows for the timely identification and repair of cracks, reducing safety risks and extending the service life of structures. However, traditional methods struggle with fine cracks, complex backgrounds, and image noise. In recent years, although deep learning techniques excel in pixel-level crack segmentation, challenges like inadequate local feature processing, information loss, and class imbalance persist. To address these challenges, we propose an encoder–decoder network based on multiple selective fusion mechanisms. Initially, a star feature enhancement module is designed to resolve the issues of insufficient local feature processing and feature redundancy during the feature extraction process. Then, a multi-scale adaptive fusion module is developed to selective capture both global and local contextual information, mitigating the information loss. Finally, to tackle class imbalance, a multi-scale monitoring and selective output module is introduced to enhance the model’s focus on crack features and suppress the interference from background and irrelevant information. Extensive experiments are conducted on three publicly available crack datasets: SCD, CFD, and DeepCrack. The results demonstrate that the proposed segmentation network achieves superior performance in pixel-level crack segmentation, with Dice scores of 66.2%, 54.2%, and 86.8% and mIoU values of 74.4%, 67.5%, and 87.9% on the SCD, CFD, and DeepCrack datasets, respectively. These results outperform those of existing models, such as U-Net, DeepLabv3+, and Attention UNet, particularly in handling complex backgrounds, fine cracks, and low-contrast images. Furthermore, the proposed MSF-CrackNet also significantly reduces computational complexity, with only 2.39 million parameters and 8.58 GFLOPs, making it a practical and efficient solution for real-world crack detection tasks, especially in scenarios with limited computational resources.

This paper aims to study the influence of key design parameters (e.g., reinforcement ratio, cover thickness, stud spacing, and thickness of the ultra-high-performance concrete (UHPC) layer) on the longitudinal and transverse bending performance, as well as the cracking load and ultimate bearing capacity calculation theory of steel–UHPC lightweight composite deck (LWCD) structure. Four transverse bending tests and four longitudinal bending tests on steel–UHPC composite plates and steel–UHPC composite beams were conducted, respectively. The refined finite element models of components with different key design parameters based on ABAQUS were established. The influences of different key design parameters on the transverse and longitudinal flexural behaviors (e.g., load-mid-span displacement curve, cracking stress, stiffness, elastic limit load, critical slip load, ultimate bearing capacity and ductility) were compared and analyzed in detail. The ultimate bearing capacity can be improved by increasing the thickness of UHPC layer and the reinforcement ratio of longitudinal reinforcement, and reducing the cover thickness and the spacing of studs. According to the longitudinal bending characteristics of the steel–UHPC lightweight composite deck structure, the calculation formulas for the cracking load and the ultimate bearing capacity of the steel–UHPC composite beam are proposed, and the calculated values are in good agreement with test results (the errors are basically within 10%), which is convenient for practical engineering applications.

Steel-concrete composite pylons are rarely used in long-span cable supported bridges. This paper introduces a new type of steel-concrete composite pylon, which is applied to a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 600m. For this new type of pylon, the steel shells are connected with concrete through PBL shear connectors and studs, and the inner steel shells are connected with the outer steel shells by angle steels. Numerical analysis and full-scale model tests show that the pylon structure exhibits excellent mechanical properties and construction performance. On the other hand, highly factory-manufactured modular assembly of the reinforced steel shell structure can effectively reduce the intensity and difficulty of on-site operations, and improve the quality of the project, with low construction risks. Whereas, the modernization level of the construction of the cable pylon has been greatly improved.