The Tongtaiyang Grand Bridge across the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, a pivotal project along the entire Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-speed Railway, was successfully closed on Friday, laying a critical foundation for the railway's on-schedule opening.
With a total length of 172.9 kilometers, the Tongtaiyang Grand Bridge is the world's longest high-speed railway bridge under construction. The bridge spans the northern bank of the Yangtze River in east China's Jiangsu Province, connecting the cities of Nantong, Taizhou, and Yangzhou. It crosses existing railways, highways and waterways a total of 116 times, presenting significant construction challenges.
The cable-stayed bridge across the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal, which achieved closure this time, is one of the projects along the entire line with the longest span, tallest main towers and most complex technology.
"With an average of more than 300 vessels passing beneath the bridge daily, our construction project faces multiple challenges related to safety, navigation, and environmental protection. In coordination with multiple departments, we have established the 'canal guardian' mechanism, adopting a flexible scheduling model of 'timed waterway closure and dynamic vessel guidance' to minimize the impact on our construction to the greatest extent," said Li Bingfeng, person in charge of the bridge's construction.
The Shanghai-Chongqing-Chengdu High-speed Railway has a total length of about 2,100 kilometers and a designed maximum speed of 350 kilometers per hour.
Connecting six provincial-level regions, namely Shanghai, Jiangsu, Anhui, Hubei, Chongqing, and Sichuan, the railway is expected to further improve local transportation system and boost the high-quality economic development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.
World's longest high-speed railway bridge under construction in east China sees new progress
