Difference between revisions of "Qingshuihe Bridge"

Revision as of 19:36, 25 June 2014

Qingshuihe Bridge
清水河特大桥
Weng'an, Guizhou, China
1,332 feet high / 406 meters high
3,707 foot span / 1,130 meter span
2016

In 2016 Qingshuihe Bridge will surpass Balinghe Bridge as the highest and longest suspension bridge in Guizhou Province. The giant new crossing is part of the Guiweng expressway 贵瓮高速公路 that will connect the capital city of Guiyang with Weng'an. The 230 and 224 meter tall towers support a steel truss main span of 1,130 meters that ranks among the 20 longest spans on earth.

An alternate Qingshui River crossing several kilometers to the south was studied that would have had an even higher deck height but the main span would have been much smaller. The highway planners may well have decided to go with the northern route knowing their bridge would become an even bigger and higher "sequel" to the famous Balinghe Bridge.

Qingshuihe Bridge is one of at least a dozen major suspension bridges that have opened in China since 2009 that have span lengths of approximately a kilometer or longer and deck heights of 200 to 500 meters.

750px

An older Qingshuihe Bridge drawing showing the T-beam bridge approach on the west end that was redesigned as a series of simple 40 meter approach spans.