Difference between revisions of "2013 Eric Sakowski"
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Revision as of 23:16, 1 April 2015
Events of 2013
China 2013 High Bridge Trip
The 3-week 2013 High Bridge trip was another grand adventure through the mountains of Western China to visit the world's 10 highest bridges as well as many other spans and several spectacular national parks. Our guests included 3 retirees made up of British dentist Lee Choong and engineering twins John and Ray Morrison of Australia. Rounding out the group of bridge fans was Canadian 'In the Wake of Tacoma' bridge book author Richard Scott. Our translator was yet another energetic Tongji University bridge engineering student with the famous name of Bruce Lee. On board for the second year in a row was our trusty driver Mr. Chen who navigated us safely along more then 2,000 miles / 3,500 kilometers of often crazy roads.
If there was one word to describe the 2013 trip it would be HOT! Record temperatures were being broken throughout many parts of China during our 3 week trek and it often made it difficult to want to get out of the comfortable confines of our air conditioned mini-van to snap some photos of a bridge.
Our first meal together at a great dumpling restaurant near Tongji University. On the left is Richard Scott with twin brothers Ray and John Morrison. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
All of my China trips seem to begin at Tongji University in Shangahi which has the best and most extensive bridge engineering courses of any school in China. Image by Richard Scott.
Image by John Morrison.
Tongji also has China's only Bridge Engineering library with hundreds of unique journals and books that can only be found here. Image by John Morrison.
The Shanghai Tower had just had just been topped out in August as the world's 2nd tallest skyscraper. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Richard Scott.
Bridge engineer Shijie Du. Image by Richard Scott.
Shanghai's Urban Planning Center overlooking the People's Park. Image by Richard Scott.
The incredible model of central Shanghai that also includes several bridge crossings of the Huangpu River. Image by John Morrison.
The model transitions into a night mode with colorful lighting on many of the iconic buildings. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The giant Lupu Bridge, once the world's longest arch with a span of 550 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The famous new Pudong financial skyscraper district as seen from the Bund. Image by Richard Scott.
A view of the cavernous new waiting hall of the Hongqiao High Speed Railway station. Image by John Morrison.
World traveler Lee Choong has been to China many times but this was his first to visit bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Interpreter and Tongji bridge engineering student Li Xiaolong. His name translates as 'Little Dragon'. It is also the real name of famous martial arts legend Bruce Lee so Li picked that as his English name. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The great Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Han River arch bridge. Image by John Morrison.
Image by Richard Scott.
The soaring cables of the Yingwuzhou double span suspension bridge cross the Yangtze just 2 kilometers upstream from the famous railway bridge. Each span is 850 meters supported by towers as high as 150 meters above the river. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Richard Scott.
The Morrisons stroll through the mostly abandoned buildings whose days are numbered. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The main cables of the Yingwuzhou Bridge had been completed just days before our arrival. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The central tower of the Yingwuzhou Bridge is made of steel while the two shoreline towers are made of concrete. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Our first official dinner of the trip in Wuhan. Image by Richard Scott.
A dancer performs along the Han River waterfront. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Opened in 2001, the Yichang Bridge has one of the longest suspension spans in China at 960 meters and still ranks among the 35 longest spans in the world. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by John Morrison.
Weijiazhou Bridge was our first high span of the trip carrying the G50 expressway 220 meters above a deep gorge. Image by Richard Scott.
The gargantuan Longtanhe Viaduct with 200 meter spans perched almost 200 meters above the valley floor. This was the world's 2nd largest viaduct for several years behind France's Millau Viaduct. China's own Chishi and Sanshuihe viaducts have recently pushed it further down to 4th place among all the world's viaducts but it is still an impressive site to behold. Image by John Morrison.
Image by Richard Scott.
A pile of discarded bicycles and motorbikes near Langpingzhen. Image by Richard Scott.
Tieluoping Bridge with a height of 209 meters and a main span of 322 meters. Image by Richard Scott.
A group photo near the Tieluoping Bridge along the older national road 318. Image by John Morrison.
The Shuanghekou Bridge on the G50. Image by Richard Scott.
Siduhe Bridge with a deck nearly 500 meters high. Image by Richard Scott.
The giant yellow towers support a Tacoma-sized span of 900 meters. Image by Richard Scott.
The Morrisons check out the center of the bridge which has a steel truss locking the deck to the main cables. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The road deck is approximately 24 meters wide with 26 meters between the center of the cables. Image by Richard Scott.
Just east of Siduhe is the giant Shuinan Viaduct carrying the G50 expressway 110 meters above a wide ravine. Image by John Morrison.
Image by Bruce Lee.
Image by John Morrison.
The Yesanguan city hotel more then 1,000 meters above sea level. Note the odd building on the right where several new floors seem to be getting constructed on top of an older building. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A late dinner next to the main plaza in Yesanguan. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Richard Scott.
Once the world's highest arch bridge at 292 meters, the central span of 430 meters still ranks among the world's 20 longest arch spans. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The 200 meter span of the Yesanhe River G50 expressway bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
One of several major bridges across the Yesanhe, this pipeline bridge is the latest high wire act with a span of 240 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by John Morrison.
The Yesanhe Railway Bridge is one of the highest of its type in the world rising 140 meters above the tight river canyon. Image by John Morrison.
The famous Yesanhe national road 318 bridge was the highest in China back when it opened in 1977 with a deck to river drop of 125 meters. Today it would not even rank among China's 200 highest bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The herculean central pier of the Mashuihe Railway bridge supports two beam spans of 116 meters along the Yichang-Wanzhou line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The local road crosses the Mashui River on this simple frame bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Longwangmiao Bridge is one of several great beam bridges over 100 meters high on the Wanzhou line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Richard Scott.
Image by Richard Scott.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Also crossing the Mashui River is the beautiful Nanlidu arch which carries the old national road 318 across a concrete filled steel tubular span of 220 meters. Image by Richard Scott.
Image by John Morrison.
Constructed in 1970, the Enshi city Xiaoduchuan stone arch bridge over the Qingjiang River has a span of 96.8 meters, more then any stone bridge ever built in Europe except for one. China is home to the world's 20 longest stone arch bridges. Image by Richard Scott.
Qingjiang water level gauge. Image by John Morrison.
The main plaza near the Qing Jiang River Bridge was crowded with dancers, a tradition that takes place in nearly every city in China. Image by John Morrison.
The beautiful multi-level bridge across the Qingjiang River. Image by John Morrison.
The second huge beam bridge along the Enshi-Qianjiang highway with piers over 100 meters tall. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The beautiful 268 meter main span of the Long arch bridge. The main ribs are filled with concrete once the steel arch has been closed at the crown. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The box beam vertical spandrel supports were installed before the end of 2013. Image by John Morrison.
I enjoyed a quick tour up one of the arch ribs. Image by Richard Scott.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The beautiful Zongjianhe Bridge with slender towers 250 meters tall. These rank among the 20 tallest bridge structures on earth exceeding any bridge in North America. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The cable stayed truss deck passes through the north tower approximately 140 meters above the ground. The roadway surface will be 260 meters above the normal level of the Zhongjian River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The base of each tower is supported on massive circular piles. Image by Richard Scott.
A view of the south tower from a point more then 250 meters above the reservoir. Image by Bruce Lee.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Chief Bridge Engineer.
Zhongjianhe Bridge truss staging area. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The beautiful Qingjiang G50 expressway bridge from the older national road. Image by John Morrison.
Image by Richard Scott.
Image by Richard Scott.
Our second dinner in Enshi was at a buffet-style restaurant. Image by John Morrison.
Image by John Morrison.
Our breakfast in Enshi. Image by John Morrison.
The Xiaohe arch bridge is another big CFST span with concrete inside the main ribs. Image by Richard Scott.
This viaduct crosses the Qingjiang River on the new line spur from Enshi to Chonqging. The line opened just before the end of 2013. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Wenxi Bridge along the Fengfu expressway that parallels the Yangtze River from the G50 expressway to the city of Fuling. The highway opened at the end of 2013. Image by Bruce Lee.
The second unknown beam bridge along the Fengfu expressway north of Fengdu city. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The third unknown beam bridge along the Fengfu expressway. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The fourth unknown Fengfu expressway bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The fifth unknown Fengfu expressway beam bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The sixth unknown Fengfu expressway bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Bruce poses in front of the giant Long bridge, the 7th and largest crossing of the beam bridges along the Fengfu highway. The main span is 240 meters and rises 180 meters above the old Long River level. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
We took an hour long detour to see the famous Jiuxigou stone arch bridge which had the longest stone arch span in the world upon its completion in 1972 with a length of 116 meters. Today it ranks 3rd behind two other Chinese stone spans built in 1991 and 2001 over the Wuchaohe and Danhe rivers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A protective layer of concrete was put over the stone in recent years, taking away the classic look of the natural masonry bricks. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The deep river piers of the Fengdu Second Yangtze River Bridge. The main span of 680 meters will rank it among the world's 25 longest cable stayed spans. Image by Richard Scott.
The original Fengdu suspension bridge with a span of 450 meters. Image by Richard Scott.
The Fengdu Bridge cable hangers are inclined. Image by Richard Scott.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
An older national road arch bridge parallels the new Fengfu highway unknown beam bridge #8. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The ninth unknown Fengfu highway beam bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The tenth Fengfu expressway beam bridge. Image by John Morrison.
The new Hanjiatuo high speed railway bridge that opened at the end of 2013. The main span is 432 meters. Image by Richard Scott.
The unusual cable stayed Fuling Yangtze River pipeline bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Fuling City arch bridge across the Wujiang River was completed in 1989. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Fuling City Wujiang River waterfront reconstruction. In the background is the 2009 Fuling Wujiang cable stayed bridge with a span of 340 meters supported by uneven towers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Wujiang River near its confluence with the Yangtze River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Fuling City waterfront park and music theater. Image by Richard Scott.
Group photo at Fuling City park where the Wu River meets the Yangtze River. Image by John Morrison.
The first crossing of the Yangtze at Fuling was in 1997 in the form of this 330 meter span cable stayed bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Xinqiao Viaduct on the new high speed line from Chonqging city to Shanghai. The massive piers rise 114 meters and support a double line deck over 2 kilometers in length making it the world's second largest railway viaduct after the nearby Caijiagou Viaduct. Image by John Morrison.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The distinctive 人-shaped piers that support thousands of tons of steel and concrete more then 100 meters above the valley floor. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The even larger Caijiagou Railway viaduct with its record breaking piers 139 meters tall. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The central span of 144 meters perched atop the 2 super-sized piers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Three generations of Caijiagou bridges!
The new Qiancaobei suspension bridge with a main span of 788 meters. Image by Ray Morrison.
The huge Qingcaobei Bridge saddle. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The first of 3 high beam bridges known as Chayuanxi Bridge along a new highway between Fuling and Chongqing on the south side of the Yangtze River. The beam span of 130 meters is approximately 83 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Also 83 meters high with a 130 meter main span is the Liangshuijing Bridge, the second beam bridge between Fuling and Chongqing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Lixiangxi is the 3rd big beam bridge between Fuling and Chongqing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Lixiangxi has the largest span of all at 180 meters resting approximately 105 meters above the Youjiang River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Fuling city steak restaurant. Image by Richard Scott.
Cable stayed crossing of the Wujiang River with a main span of 320 meters and towers over 200 and 205 meters tall. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Our bridge day in Chongqing City was made with bridge fan and Chongqing resident Wang who met us at the west end of the Chaotianmen arch bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Chongqing city skyline as seen from the Chaotianmen arch bridge. Image by Richard Scott.
The massive arch of Chaotianmen is the largest in the world at 552 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Bridge fan Wang and Eric. Image by John Morrison.
A view of the Chongqing skyline in our hotel. Chaotianmen Bridge can just barely be seen on the right and Caiyuanba arch bridge can just barely be seen on the left. Image by Lee Choong.
The new Jialing River single tower cable stayed Qianximen Bridge was almost complete and supports a new metro line. To the right is the new Chongqing opera house overlooking the confluence of the Jialing and Yangtze Rivers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The double tower Dongshuimen metro line bridge leaps across the Yangtze with a central main span of 445 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Dongshuimen has just 9 cable stays on either tower. Image by John Morrison.
A view of the side by side Shibanpo Bridges. The newer bridge has the world's largest beam span of 330 meters with the middle third comprised of steel that was raised into place from a boat on the Yangtze River. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The through-arch Caiyuanba bridge with a main span of 420 meters. The basket handle arch carries a double track monorail metro line on the bottom and 6 lanes of highway on the top. Image by John Morrison.
The E'gongyan Bridge was the first long span crossing in Chongqing City, opening in 2000 with a main span of 600 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
