To address the lack of research on the economic and social benefits following the implementation of the Beijiang Waterway expansion and upgrading project,a quantitative analysis is conducted on the macroeconomic benefits,shipping economic benefits,and social benefits resulting from the upgrade of the Beijiang Waterway from 300 DWT to 1,000 DWT.The “with and without comparsion” analysis method is used to calculate on the basis of fundamental data such as project investment,port throughput,and navigable vessels.The results show that the investment in this project directly drives a gross domestic product (GDP) increment of 13.562 billion yuan.During the 14th Five-Year Plan period,the waterway investment projects indirectly driven by this project contributed a GDP increment of 16.443 billion yuan.In 2024,the induced throughput of Shaoguan Port and Qingyuan Port along the waterway contributes 706 million yuan to GDP,while the vessel upsizing benefits at the two ports reach 206 million yuan.The cargo throughput shifted to waterway transportation saves 482 million yuan in freight costs (a reduction of 60.2%) and reduces carbon emissions by 65,400 tons (a reduction of 79%).Additionally,the mutual irrigation layout adopted for the second and third ship locks of the Feilaixia Hub can achieve a maximum annual water saving of 260 million m3.