The project adopts a concession model, with the official name being the S18 Wuhan Airport Expressway Expansion and Renovation Project Investor Solicitation (Bid Section JCGSTZR-1).

The construction site is located in Wuhan City, Hubei Province. The project's expansion starts at the south bank of the Fuhe River in Jiangjun Road Street, Dongxihu District (the end of the Changma Viaduct), with a starting pile number of K4+185. It ends at the south side of the along-the-river high-speed rail Tianhe Station in Panlongcheng Economic Development Zone, Huangpi District (the planned station-front interchange), with an ending pile number of K14+400, covering a total length of 10.22 km. Specifically, the section from the south bank of the Fuhe River (end of Changma Viaduct) to the Fengheshan Interchange will be expanded to an eight-lane dual-carriageway expressway standard, with a reconstruction length of 3.6 km, a total roadbed width of 49 meters, and a design speed of 80 km/h. The section from the Fengheshan Interchange to the station-front interchange will be expanded to a six-lane dual-carriageway expressway standard, with a reconstruction length of 6.62 km, roadbed widths of 34.5 meters and 35 meters, and a design speed of 80 km/h. The entire line will see the construction of 7 new separated bridges, totaling 4,304 meters in length (single width), including 2 extra-large bridges and 5 large and medium bridges. The project will also feature 8 interchanges and exits, comprising 3 hub interchanges (2 rebuilt in place, 1 fully utilized), 3 general interchanges (2 rebuilt in place, 1 reserved for planning), and 2 newly built exits. Additionally, it will establish 1 mainline toll station, 2 ramp toll stations, 1 maintenance depot, and the necessary supporting traffic engineering and roadside facilities.

To ensure the overall traffic capacity of the airport expressway, this project will carry out pavement maintenance and renovation on the Wuhan main city connecting line and the Tianhe Airport connecting line, while also improving traffic safety and smart transportation facilities. The details are as follows: 1) Wuhan Main City Connecting Line: This section will adopt an urban expressway technical standard (a dual-four-lane elevated main road plus a dual-four-lane ground-level auxiliary road). It starts at the connection point with Changqing Road and the Third Ring Road (pile number K0+000), and ends at the starting point of the airport expressway expansion (pile number K4+185), covering a length of 4.18 km. 2) Tianhe Airport Connecting Line: This section will follow a first-class highway technical standard (a dual-four-lane first-class highway). It starts at the connection with the station-front interchange (pile number K14+400) and ends at the junction with Xiaogan-Hankou Avenue and Airport Second Expressway (pile number K18+397.886), covering a length of 4.00 km. The total investment for the project construction is estimated at approximately 2.2046 billion yuan.

The existing project began at the Changqing Interchange of the Third Ring Road in Jianghan District and ended at the Majiahu Interchange of the S19 Airport Second Expressway, with a total length of about 18.21 km. The original operator of the S18 Airport Road, Wuhan Airport Road Development Co., Ltd. (affiliated with Wuhan Urban Development Group), began collecting tolls in April 1995 for a 30-year period, which expired on June 18, 2025. The road is currently toll-free. The Wuhan municipal government has entrusted Wuhan Urban Development Group to manage the maintenance of the existing project. Other details regarding the project's specific construction scope, scale, and total investment are subject to the final approved documents.

The bidding scope involves constructing the project under a concession model. After winning the bid, the investor must establish a project company in accordance with the Company Law of the People's Republic of China and other relevant laws and policies. This project company will be responsible for the entire process, including project planning, financing, construction, operation management, debt repayment, asset management, and project handover, operating autonomously and assuming its own profits and losses. Upon the expiration of the concession period stipulated in the agreement, the project company must legally transfer the highway, ancillary facilities, land use rights, and related materials. The bid is divided into one section, JCGSTZR-1, with a planned construction period of 1,095 calendar days, a planned start date of December 2026, and a contract estimated value of 2.2046 billion yuan.

Additional requirements: (1) The actual construction period is subject to the project approval documents; the actual start date is based on the date the project construction permit is issued and the engineer's commencement order is signed. (2) The investor must designate one civil construction section with a contract estimated value of over 200 million yuan for open bidding, using a method that encourages participation from private construction enterprises. (3) After the project is completed and opened to traffic, the project company established by the investor will enjoy the toll collection rights. (4) If the project is eligible for national or provincial subsidies, the tenderer will assist in the application process. (5) This project is classified as a third-category high-investment, high-difficulty toll road project by Hubei Provincial Transportation Department.

Interested parties (if a consortium, all members) must register on the Hubei Province Electronic Tendering Platform and obtain a digital certificate. Registration and free bidding document download are available from August 6, 2026, to 24:00 on August 10, 2026 (Beijing time). The deadline for bid submission is 09:30 on August 26, 2026. The tenderer is the Hubei Provincial Highway Development Center, with the announcement published on August 6, 2026.