Difference between revisions of "2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 3"
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[[File:286Wuhan2ndView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:286Wuhan2ndView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The second of Wuhan's soon to be 10 Yangtze crossings is the appropriately named Wuhan 2nd Crossing Bridge. Constructed in 1995, the bridge opened almost 40 years after the famous 1957 road and rail bridge was completed. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:287Erqi&Georges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:287Erqi&Georges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Erqi Bridge opened in 2012 as the longest double span cable stayed bridge on earth with two back to back spans of 616 meters. There is no bridge in North or South America with even one cable stayed span of this length let alone two! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:288Wuhan1st copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:288Wuhan1st copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The very first large bridge to cross the Yangtze was the First Wuhan crossing in 1957. The giant road and rail bridge was the model by which the more famous First Nanjing Bridge was based on. Russian Bridge engineers assisted in the design of the double decker truss that carries 2 tracks of the Beijing-Guangzhou line on the bottom as well as 4 road lanes and 2 pedestrian walkways on the top. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:293YingwuzhouWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:293YingwuzhouWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Yingwuzhou is Wuhan's latest crossing of the Yangtze with two back to back spans of 850 meters - equivalent to the 2 Tacoma Narrows Bridge spans placed end to end. The name translates to Parrot Chou Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:294YingwuzhouCenterPier copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:294YingwuzhouCenterPier copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The center tower is steel while the two shoreline towers are concrete. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:295YingwuzhouAreaBuildings copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:295YingwuzhouAreaBuildings copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Located next to the Yingwuzhou Bridge, this neighborhood was in the process of being demolished to make way for a huge retail and entertainment complex. Despite the impending destruction of their homes, many of the residents will continue to live in these buildings until the very last day when a wrecking ball finally forces them to pack up and leave. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:297NanjingYellowDragonJiang copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:297NanjingYellowDragonJiang copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Yellow Crane Tower is the most famous historic site in Wuhan. Mao went up it to survey the planned site of the giant railway bridge in 1953. Time and rain kept us from venturing up the tower. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:298Baishazhou&Georges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:298Baishazhou&Georges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Now more then 10 years old, the Baishazhou Bridge was one of the longest cable stayed bridges in the world in 2000 with a main span of 618 meters. The A-frame towers are very similar to Shanghai's Xupu Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
− | [[File:299BaishazhouTowers&Boat copy.jpg| | + | [[File:299BaishazhouTowers&Boat copy.jpg|450px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
[[File:300BaishazhouSuspenders2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:300BaishazhouSuspenders2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The main span of Baishazhou consists of a steel deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:301WuhanSingleTowerByEric copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:301WuhanSingleTowerByEric copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | This single tower cable stayed bridge crosses the Han River in Wuhan. Several other large arch and beam bridges also cross the river before it empties into the Yangtze. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:302HotelShowerRoger copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:302HotelShowerRoger copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | A typical Chinese hotel bathroom with a fairly revealing glass wall! Image by Georges. |
[[File:303ErqiDeck2 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | [[File:303ErqiDeck2 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Another view of the giant 8-lane Erqi Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:305TianxingzhouRailwayTower2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:305TianxingzhouRailwayTower2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Tianxingzhou broke records in 2009 when it became the longest combination road and rail cable stayed bridge in the world with a span of 504 meters. Since then several other Yangtze spans have surpassed it. The incredibly bulky concrete towers support a rarely seen triple plane of cable stays. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:307Yangluo&Yangtze copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:307Yangluo&Yangtze copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | With a tower to tower span of 1,280 meters, the Yangluo Bridge is one of the 20 longest suspension spans on earth. The "X" shaped Andrews cross bracing give the towers a distinctive look. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:309WuhanEastRailway3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:309WuhanEastRailway3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Huanggang Yangtze River road and railway bridge downstream of Wuhan will become the largest of its type when it opens in 2013 with a huge span of 567 meters, surpassing the nearby Tianxingzhou Bridge. That record will be surpassed in 2013 by the Anqing Bridge which is rail only with a span of 580 meters and then in 2015 by the even larger Tongling Yangtze road and rail bridge with a span of 630 meters. No other country in the world has built so many large cable stayed railway bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:312E'HuangView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:312E'HuangView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | With a main span of 480 meters, the E'Huang Bridge was one of the longest cable stayed spans across the Yangtze when it opened in 2002. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:314HuangshiBeam copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:314HuangshiBeam copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Huangshi Bridge is the last downstream beam bridge to cross the Yangtze. The rest are all suspension or cable stayed designs except for the First Nanjing truss spans. Opened in 1995, each of the 3 spans measure 245 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:315Edong&Water3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:315Edong&Water3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | With towers 800 feet high and a span of 926 meters, Edong Bridge pushed ahead of Japan's famous Tatara Bridge in 2010 to become the 4th longest cable stayed bridge on earth. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:317JiujiangCableStayed copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:317JiujiangCableStayed copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | When it opens in 2013, the Jiujiang bridge is going to rearrange the top 20 list of cable stayed spans with a steel box center span of 818 meters. This is just 2 meters longer then upstream neighbor Jingyue Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:318JiujiangGasStation copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:318JiujiangGasStation copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Several large gas stations had these tall pyramid shaped roofs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:319JiujiangRail copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:319JiujiangRail copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Built in the grand style of the previous railway bridges at Wuhan and Nanjing, the Jiujiang railway bridge finally opened in 1992 after years of difficulties during its construction. The central arch span is 216 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:324JiujiangTowersSide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:324JiujiangTowersSide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Some views of the new Jiujiang cable stayed bridge from the south side. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:326LakePoyangLonglens copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:326LakePoyangLonglens copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Lake Poyang Bridge just north of Jiujiang city. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:327AnqingCableStayedTowers2 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | [[File:327AnqingCableStayedTowers2 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | the Anqing Bridge looks fairly conventional but still deserves some respect as its main span of 510 meters is longer then almost any cable stayed bridge in North or South America. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:328AnqingFerryExit copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:328AnqingFerryExit copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The ferry was still popular with the locals! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:330AnqingRailwayCSbyGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:330AnqingRailwayCSbyGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | The city of Anqing will break the record books in 2013 when this new high speed railway cable stayed bridge opens with a main span of 580 meters. Image by Georges. |
[[File:331AnqingRailwayApproach copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:331AnqingRailwayApproach copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Some kind of gravel bed will be placed on top of the deck to support 2 of the high speed rail lines. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:332AnqingRailwayPier copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:332AnqingRailwayPier copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The viaduct on the right ended a short distance from the Anqing Bridge. Initially there will be just 2 rail lines open in 2013. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:333AnqingRailwayEastSide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:333AnqingRailwayEastSide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Construction will likely begin on the approaches to the other 2 rail lines at another time. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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− | [[File:337AnqingRailwayPiers copy.jpg| | + | [[File:337AnqingRailwayPiers copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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[[File:339TonglingWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:339TonglingWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Tongling Yangtze Bridge opened in 1995 with a span of 432 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:340LinjiangBridge2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:340LinjiangBridge2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Linjiang "Fish" Bridge in Wuhu is an odd combination of an observation tower building and cable stayed bridge. We never did come across any public entrance to the tower. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:344WuhuByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:344WuhuByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | One of China's early road and rail bridges from 2000, the Wuhu cable stayed bridge has a main span of 312 meters. The low angle of the stays as well as the unsupported sections in the middle and near the towers suggest this could also be labeled an extradosed bridge albeit with an unusually deep truss. Two rail lines traverse the lower level with 4 lanes of road on top. Image by Georges. |
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[[File:347WuhuStoneByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:347WuhuStoneByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | This classic look of this concrete arch and wood pedestrian bridge are typical of many new construction projects where the builders want to convey a sense of China's thousand year old tradition of hand-built craftsmanship. Image by Georges. |
[[File:348MaanshanCSWideGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:348MaanshanCSWideGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | The eastern section of the Ma'anshan Yangtze Bridge will be arguably one of the most beautiful cable stayed designs along the entire river with 2 back to back spans of 260 meters supported by oval shaped support towers that are the first of their kind in the world. Image by Georges. |
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[[File:351MaanshanSuspensionGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:351MaanshanSuspensionGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | The Ma'anshan Yangtze suspension bridge is tied with downstream neighbor Taizhou Bridge as having the 2 longest back to back suspension spans on earth. The two leaps of 1080 meters are partially supported by a central tower with a concrete base and a steel tower. This is somewhat different from downstream double span neighbor Taizhou which is made up of an all steel A-frame center support. Image by Georges. |
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[[File:353MaanshanSuspensionAnchorage3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:353MaanshanSuspensionAnchorage3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Cable spinning on a suspension bridge is an extremely rare process to see in person as there is no more large scale suspension bridge construction going on in either the Americas or Europe. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:354MaanshanSuspensionAnchorWall copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:354MaanshanSuspensionAnchorWall copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The dozens of cable bundles are connected to massive anchors embedded in the exposed anchorage. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:356MaanshanSuspensionTowerTop copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:356MaanshanSuspensionTowerTop copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Ma'anshan tower tops have a one-of-a-kind cross beam design that looks like wood molding you might see in a doorway. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:358MaanshanSuspensionFerry3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:358MaanshanSuspensionFerry3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The only way to visit the suspension bridge from the east side of the Yangtze was across this ferry to an island in the middle of the river. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:359Nanjing3View copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:359Nanjing3View copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The fog partially obscures what might be the nicest cable stayed towers along the entire Yangtze - the 215 meter tall steel wishbone supports of the 3rd Nanjing bridge that curve continuously from foundation to top. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:360DashengguanRailway2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:360DashengguanRailway2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge is located on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway line and has a whopping 6 rail lines that cross over two steel arch trusses of 336 meters that represent the longest double span railway arch in the world. The total length of this huge crossing is 9.273 kilometers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:361JiangxinzhouSelfAnchoredWide2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:361JiangxinzhouSelfAnchoredWide2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Jiangxinzhou Bridge in Nanjing City is a single-tower spatial cable self-anchored suspension bridge with a main span of 248 meters. There are very few bridges of this type in the world. The largest is now under construction in California for the replacement of the San Francisco Bay Bridge Eastern Span. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:363JiangxinzhouSelfAnchored6 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:363JiangxinzhouSelfAnchored6 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The west side span cables support the deck from the center median unlike the Bay Bridge where the cables are always on the outside of the deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:364JiangxinzhouSelfAnchoredAnchorage copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:364JiangxinzhouSelfAnchoredAnchorage copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The cables terminate into this massive concrete cross beam. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:365Nanjing1stView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:365Nanjing1stView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | For many decades the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was China’s most famous crossing. It was completed in 1968 and is the first double-decker, double-track highway and railway bridge designed and constructed by the Chinese without outside engineering assistance as was done with the 1957 Wuhan Railway Bridge. The upper road deck is 4,588 meters long across truss spans of 160 meters. The lower railway deck is 6,772 meters long and 14 meters wide. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:366Nanjing1stMaoByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:366Nanjing1stMaoByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | A large statue of Mao greets visitors in the museum at the base of the east tower. Image by Georges. |
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[[File:369Nanjing2ndWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:369Nanjing2ndWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | With just one crossing for over 3 decades, the city of Nanjing finally built a 2nd crossing in 2001 in the form of the huge Nanjing 2 cable stayed bridge with a main span of 628 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:370RunyangSouth copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:370RunyangSouth copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | + | The Runyang South Bridge is part of a large bridge complex that crosses two sections of the Yangtze River that are divided by the island of Siyezhou in the middle. The main span of 1,490 meters is the fifth longest in the world and the second longest in China after the Xihoumen Bridge. The streamlined orthotropic steel box girder is 3 meters in depth and 39 meters wide to accommodate 6 lanes. | |
[[File:371RunyangNorth copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:371RunyangNorth copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The north bridge is a cable-stayed structure with a main span of 406 meters supported on towers 150 meters tall. Construction of the bridge began in October 2000 and was completed in April of 2005 at a cost of 5.8 billion Yuan (about U.S. $700 million). Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:372RunyangLobbyByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:372RunyangLobbyByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | The five star hotel on the island of Siyezhou had a beautiful mural of the bridge. Sadly there were few people staying at the hotel which offers great views of both bridges from a restaurant on an upper floor. Image by Georges. |
[[File:373Nanjing4thTowers copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:373Nanjing4thTowers copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Opening in 2013, the 4th Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is one of the longest span suspension bridges in the world with a tower to tower distance of 1,418 meters. The material within both 229 meter tall towers is mainly concrete, but at the top of each tower there is a unique steel cross-beam arch between the tower legs. The 6-lane deck of the bridge consists of a streamlined steel box girder with an overall width of 38.2 meters and a depth of 3.5 meters. The estimated cost is about 17.7 million yuan (CNY) or 2.6 billion dollars (USD). Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:376Nanjing4thCableByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:376Nanjing4thCableByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | A stronger "anchor" suspender on the east end was unusual as it seemed to eliminate the need for a small cable saddle that is normally used. The main cable would be pulling upward slightly instead of downward. The engineering reasons for this change are not completely clear. Image by Georges. |
[[File:377TaizhouWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:377TaizhouWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | For the second year in a row we managed to get to the top of a major bridge tower. In 2012 we got lucky at the giant Taizhou suspension bridge with its record breaking back to back suspension spans of 1080 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:380TaizhouTowerTop4 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:380TaizhouTowerTop4 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The concrete cross member at the top of the tower is a large cavernous room. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:382TaizhouInnerTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:382TaizhouInnerTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The climb to the top of the 180 meter tower required an exhausting trek up several dozen flights of stairs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:383TaizhouTowerTop copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:383TaizhouTowerTop copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | But the view was absolutely worth it! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:387TaizhouElevator2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:387TaizhouElevator2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | A view down the temporary elevator support shaft. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:390TaizhouBackSpan copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:390TaizhouBackSpan copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The bridge will have opened by the end of 2012. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:391TaizhouRogerGeorgesInTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:391TaizhouRogerGeorgesInTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The cavernous interior of the Taizhou tower top cross connector. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:392TaizhouIndoorElevator copy.jpg|450px|center]] | [[File:392TaizhouIndoorElevator copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | It sure was a relief to know we could take the elevator back down! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:393TaizhouRoger2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:393TaizhouRoger2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Without the clutter of a center barrier and lane striping, the massive black deck appears even larger. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:394YangtzeTransmissionTower3 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | [[File:394YangtzeTransmissionTower3 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The world's second tallest transmission towers cross the Yangtze River near the Jiangyin Bridge. With a height of 346.5 meters these monsters dwarf even the Eiffel Tower. A spiral staircase and a one-man elevator are the only way maintenance workers can reach the top! The cables span 2.3 kilometers between the two towers. In nearby Ningbo an even taller set of transmission towers reach 370 meters in height. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
[[File:395YangtzeTransmissionByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:395YangtzeTransmissionByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Georges. | + | All of the structural members are made of intricate truss beams. Image by Georges. |
[[File:396JiangyinWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:396JiangyinWideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge was the most seaward bridge to cross the Yangtze River of China at the time of its completion in 1999. Since then the Sutong and Shanghai Chongming Bridge/Tunnel have been constructed further downstream. With a main span of 1,385 meters, Jiangyin was the first really long span bridge to be built in China and is still among the world's top 20 longest spans. The 190 meter tall concrete towers support a streamlined steel box girder deck. Since this was in the early era of large Chinese bridge building, the construction was conducted by Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company of the United Kingdom. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:398JiangyinEricRoger copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:398JiangyinEricRoger copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
− | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | + | Goodwin Steel Castings Ltd. of the United Kingdom manufactured the wire cables for the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com |
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[[File:401JiangyinRailwayFerry copy.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:401JiangyinRailwayFerry copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | With no other railway bridges so far down the Yangtze, this bridge allows trains to board a ferry. Plans are underway for a new road and railway bridge downstream of this crossing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
+ | |||
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+ | [[File:402SutongWideByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | With a span of 1,088 meters, the Sutong Bridge had the longest cable-stayed span in the world from 2007 to 2012 before it was surpassed by Russia's Russky Island Bridge. The two towers of the Sutong Bridge are 300 metres high and are the third tallest in the world behind the Russky Island and Millau Bridges. The bridge received the 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award (OCEA) from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Image by Georges. | ||
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+ | [[File:403SutongTower&Beam copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:404SutongBeamByGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Often overlooked, Sutong Bridge has one of the 20 longest concrete beam spans in the world at 268 meters. Image by Georges. | ||
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+ | [[File:405SutongLonglens2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:406SutongParkRoger copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | The Sutong Bridge park has many full size examples of the bridge deck as well as a 2-story building that houses what is arguably the best single bridge museum ever created. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:407ShanghaiTraffic copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | We encountered one of the largest traffic jams ever on our drive to the Shanghai Chongming Island Bridge. Luckily this huge backup of several kilometers was headed in the opposite direction. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:408ChongmingTunnel copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | The Shanghai Chongming Yangtze River Bridge and tunnel stretch 16.63 kilometers across the mouth of the Yangtze River. The tunnel portion is 8.9 kilometers in length and has two stacked levels. The upper level has three lanes in each direction while the lower level is reserved for a future Shanghai Metro line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:409ChongmingTunnel3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:410ChongmingLonglens copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | The 10 kilometer bridge section consists of a central cable stayed span of 730 meters which ranks among the 20 longest in the world. It is rare for a cable stayed bridge so large to have a single mast design, allowing the 208 meter tall towers to split the roadway lanes into two separate steel decks. Only the Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong is larger among this type of bridge. The total combined length of the route is 25.5 km and the total cost was 12.6 billion yuan (US$1.84 billion). The remaining gap between Chongming and the north bank of the Yangtze is crossed by the Chongqi Bridge and the Chonghai Bridge, collectively forming the most downstream crossing of the Yangtze. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:411ChongmingMedium2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | The approaches were given a sigmoid "S" shape. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:412Yangpu&Boat copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | Once the longest cable stayed bridge in the world, the Yangpu Bridge was completed in 1993 with a main span of 602 meters. The deck is 30.35 meters wide with six lanes of traffic. The two pylons reach 223 meters in height. The bridge was originally unpainted but for the millennium it was coated with red paint. The name Yangpu Bridge (杨浦大桥) inscribed on each pylon was originally hand-written by a former leader. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:413ShanghaiSkyline copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:414NanpuWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Nanpu Bridge was the first major cable stayed bridge built in China when it opened in 1991. With a main span of 428 meters, the distance was almost double the previous longest span Chinese bridge. Like many early Chinese spans, the steel for the composite girder and the cables were imported from Europe. Since that time, China has established its own wire manufacturing and exports strands to many other cable stayed bridge projects around the world. Nanpu was designed by the Shanghai Municipal Design Institute with assistance from T.Y. Lin and Buckland and Taylor and was the first major Chinese bridge contract to be awarded to foreigners. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:415NanpuWestTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:416LupuWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Lupu Bridge is the world's second longest arch bridge after Chaotianmen Bridge in Chongqing City. The Lupu Bridge is a steel box "basket handle" through arch bridge. The central span of the deck is suspended from two sets of 28 double cables. | ||
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+ | The span received the 2008 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award for being “A soaring box-arch bridge with a record span, clean impressive lines and innovative use of the side spans of the arch and the deck to resist the thrust of the main arch”. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:417LupuUpperArch copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:418Lupu&Roger copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | With spectacular views of the Shanghai region and the Huangpu River, we were surprised there were not more tourists doing the hike to the top of the arch. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:419LupuExpoChinaPavilion copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | The Lupu Bridge became a major symbol of the International Expo 2010 that took place along the riverbanks from May to October of that year. More then 250 countries participated with many constructing innovative pavilions with edgy architecture that often reflected the culture of that country. China's inverted red pyramid was the largest of the many themed buildings. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:420LupuTop&Georges copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:421Lupu&Expo copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Many of the pavilions were removed after the Expo ended. Over 73 million attended the event breaking the previous record of 70 million at the Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:422Lupu&Houses copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:423LupuSideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | The side of the bridge was lit up for the Expo 2010 with lights and colored LEDs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:424XupuSideView copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | With a span of 590 meters supported on towers 212 meters tall, the Xupu Bridge was China's longest span cable stayed bridge when it opened in 1997 and still ranks among the world's top 30. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:425XupuByGeorges copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
+ | Image by Georges. | ||
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+ | [[File:426XupuUnderside copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:427XupuDeck copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:428MinpuEastTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Minpu Bridge is now the longest span across the Huangpu River with a pylon to pylon distance of 708 meters. The length is also a record among all double decker truss cable stayed bridges. There are 6 lanes of traffic on the top and 4 lanes on the bottom. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:429MinpuCenterSpan copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:430MinpuWestSide copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:431Minpu2Tower copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Nearby Minpu 2 is another large crossing of the Huangpu River with a main span of 251.4 meters. The upper deck carries a highway while the lower level serves a Shanghai railway line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:432HangzhouBay copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | Hangzhou Bay Bridge was the longest continuous trans-oceanic bridge in the world. Opened to the public in 2008, the bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km to 280 km and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:433HangzhouBaySingleTower copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:434HangzhouBayObservation copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | There is a multi-level "mall", museum and observation tower on the south end of the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:435HangzhouBayBuildingGate copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:436HangzhouBayBridgeMall copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:437HangzhouBayModel copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:438HangzhouBayEntrance copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:439HangzhouObservation2 copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:440HangzhouBayRoof copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:441HangzhouBayWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:442JintangLonglens copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Jintang is one of 2 large cable stayed bridges along the new Zhoushan Trans-oceanic bridge on the Zhoushan Archipelago - the largest offshore island group in China. The bridge is 21 kilometers in total length (18.4 kilometers over the sea), and consists of a main span of 620 meters making it among the world's 20 longest. Overall Jintang is the fourth longest road bridge over water in China after the Jiaozhou, Hangzhou Bay and Donghai Bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:443JintangTowers2 copy.jpg|450px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:444XihoumenWide copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Xihoumen Bridge is the second-longest suspension bridge in the world as ranked by the length of the center span. The 5.3-kilometre-long suspension bridge has a 2.6-kilometre-long main bridge with a central span of 1,650 metres. The approaches total 2.7 kilometers. The central span has a special box design that allows wind ventilation in the center of the roadway as well as adding strength transversly. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:445XihoumenAnchorage copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:446XihoumenCables copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:447XihoumenLonglens copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:448XihoumenUnderside copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:449XihoumenUnderside3 copy.jpg|450px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:450XihoumenNorthTower3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:451XihoumenGeorges copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:452XihoumenModel copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | A local park had some small models of the Zhoushan Island Bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:453JintangModel copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:454TaoyaomenBridge copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | The Taoyaomen Bridge crosses a deep underwater valley. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:455TaoyaomenBridgePiers copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:456TaoyaomenUnderdeck copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:457TaoyaomenBottles copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:458YongjiangArch6 copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | Completed in 2011, the Yongjiang River Bridge is one of the 20 longest span arch bridge in the world at 450 meters. Similar to the through arch Lupu Bridge in nearby Shanghai, the 2 main ribs are wide at the base and meet eachother 95 meters above the water. The main span was constructed by temporary cable stays connected to towers 150 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:459Yongjiang3 copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:460Yongjiang6 copy.jpg|750px|center]] |
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | [[File: | + | [[File:461Qingshuipu.jpg|750px|center]] |
+ | The Qingshuipu Bridge is a rare side by side cable stayed bridge with double diamond towers that support a span of 468 meters. The bridge opened in 2012 and also crosses the Yongjiang River on the outskirts of Ningbo City. The 8-lane deck is 56.7 meters wide made up of steel box sections that are about 27 meters wide. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:462QingshuipuEastTowers copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
− | + | [[File:463QingshuipuBridgeDeck copy.jpg|750px|center]] | |
− | + | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | |
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+ | [[File:464QingshuipuRailwayBridge copy.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | A parallel cable stayed railway bridge is also under construction and should be completed by 2014. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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+ | [[File:465QingshuipuTowers.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
+ | Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com | ||
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<div style="text-align: center; border: 1px LightSkyBlue; background: LightSkyBlue; margin: 5px;"> | <div style="text-align: center; border: 1px LightSkyBlue; background: LightSkyBlue; margin: 5px;"> | ||
This entry has 3 pages: [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album|1]] | [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 2|2]] | [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 3|3]]</div> | This entry has 3 pages: [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album|1]] | [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 2|2]] | [[2012 High Bridge Trip Photo Album/Week 3|3]]</div> |
Latest revision as of 04:50, 2 April 2015
2012 China High Bridge Trip Photo Album
Hubei and Chongqing Provinces
The special spans visited during the third week included Xiling, First Wuhan, Erqi, Edong, Anqing, Ma'anshan, First through Fourth Nanjing, Taizhou, Sutong, Chongming, Lupu, Hangzhou Bay and Xihoumen Bridges.
The second of Wuhan's soon to be 10 Yangtze crossings is the appropriately named Wuhan 2nd Crossing Bridge. Constructed in 1995, the bridge opened almost 40 years after the famous 1957 road and rail bridge was completed. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Erqi Bridge opened in 2012 as the longest double span cable stayed bridge on earth with two back to back spans of 616 meters. There is no bridge in North or South America with even one cable stayed span of this length let alone two! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The very first large bridge to cross the Yangtze was the First Wuhan crossing in 1957. The giant road and rail bridge was the model by which the more famous First Nanjing Bridge was based on. Russian Bridge engineers assisted in the design of the double decker truss that carries 2 tracks of the Beijing-Guangzhou line on the bottom as well as 4 road lanes and 2 pedestrian walkways on the top. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Yingwuzhou is Wuhan's latest crossing of the Yangtze with two back to back spans of 850 meters - equivalent to the 2 Tacoma Narrows Bridge spans placed end to end. The name translates to Parrot Chou Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The center tower is steel while the two shoreline towers are concrete. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Located next to the Yingwuzhou Bridge, this neighborhood was in the process of being demolished to make way for a huge retail and entertainment complex. Despite the impending destruction of their homes, many of the residents will continue to live in these buildings until the very last day when a wrecking ball finally forces them to pack up and leave. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Yellow Crane Tower is the most famous historic site in Wuhan. Mao went up it to survey the planned site of the giant railway bridge in 1953. Time and rain kept us from venturing up the tower. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Now more then 10 years old, the Baishazhou Bridge was one of the longest cable stayed bridges in the world in 2000 with a main span of 618 meters. The A-frame towers are very similar to Shanghai's Xupu Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The main span of Baishazhou consists of a steel deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
This single tower cable stayed bridge crosses the Han River in Wuhan. Several other large arch and beam bridges also cross the river before it empties into the Yangtze. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A typical Chinese hotel bathroom with a fairly revealing glass wall! Image by Georges.
Another view of the giant 8-lane Erqi Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Tianxingzhou broke records in 2009 when it became the longest combination road and rail cable stayed bridge in the world with a span of 504 meters. Since then several other Yangtze spans have surpassed it. The incredibly bulky concrete towers support a rarely seen triple plane of cable stays. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With a tower to tower span of 1,280 meters, the Yangluo Bridge is one of the 20 longest suspension spans on earth. The "X" shaped Andrews cross bracing give the towers a distinctive look. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Huanggang Yangtze River road and railway bridge downstream of Wuhan will become the largest of its type when it opens in 2013 with a huge span of 567 meters, surpassing the nearby Tianxingzhou Bridge. That record will be surpassed in 2013 by the Anqing Bridge which is rail only with a span of 580 meters and then in 2015 by the even larger Tongling Yangtze road and rail bridge with a span of 630 meters. No other country in the world has built so many large cable stayed railway bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With a main span of 480 meters, the E'Huang Bridge was one of the longest cable stayed spans across the Yangtze when it opened in 2002. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Huangshi Bridge is the last downstream beam bridge to cross the Yangtze. The rest are all suspension or cable stayed designs except for the First Nanjing truss spans. Opened in 1995, each of the 3 spans measure 245 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With towers 800 feet high and a span of 926 meters, Edong Bridge pushed ahead of Japan's famous Tatara Bridge in 2010 to become the 4th longest cable stayed bridge on earth. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
When it opens in 2013, the Jiujiang bridge is going to rearrange the top 20 list of cable stayed spans with a steel box center span of 818 meters. This is just 2 meters longer then upstream neighbor Jingyue Bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Several large gas stations had these tall pyramid shaped roofs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Built in the grand style of the previous railway bridges at Wuhan and Nanjing, the Jiujiang railway bridge finally opened in 1992 after years of difficulties during its construction. The central arch span is 216 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Some views of the new Jiujiang cable stayed bridge from the south side. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Lake Poyang Bridge just north of Jiujiang city. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
the Anqing Bridge looks fairly conventional but still deserves some respect as its main span of 510 meters is longer then almost any cable stayed bridge in North or South America. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The ferry was still popular with the locals! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The city of Anqing will break the record books in 2013 when this new high speed railway cable stayed bridge opens with a main span of 580 meters. Image by Georges.
Some kind of gravel bed will be placed on top of the deck to support 2 of the high speed rail lines. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The viaduct on the right ended a short distance from the Anqing Bridge. Initially there will be just 2 rail lines open in 2013. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Construction will likely begin on the approaches to the other 2 rail lines at another time. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
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 Tongling Yangtze Bridge opened in 1995 with a span of 432 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Linjiang "Fish" Bridge in Wuhu is an odd combination of an observation tower building and cable stayed bridge. We never did come across any public entrance to the tower. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
One of China's early road and rail bridges from 2000, the Wuhu cable stayed bridge has a main span of 312 meters. The low angle of the stays as well as the unsupported sections in the middle and near the towers suggest this could also be labeled an extradosed bridge albeit with an unusually deep truss. Two rail lines traverse the lower level with 4 lanes of road on top. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
This classic look of this concrete arch and wood pedestrian bridge are typical of many new construction projects where the builders want to convey a sense of China's thousand year old tradition of hand-built craftsmanship. Image by Georges.
The eastern section of the Ma'anshan Yangtze Bridge will be arguably one of the most beautiful cable stayed designs along the entire river with 2 back to back spans of 260 meters supported by oval shaped support towers that are the first of their kind in the world. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Ma'anshan Yangtze suspension bridge is tied with downstream neighbor Taizhou Bridge as having the 2 longest back to back suspension spans on earth. The two leaps of 1080 meters are partially supported by a central tower with a concrete base and a steel tower. This is somewhat different from downstream double span neighbor Taizhou which is made up of an all steel A-frame center support. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Cable spinning on a suspension bridge is an extremely rare process to see in person as there is no more large scale suspension bridge construction going on in either the Americas or Europe. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The dozens of cable bundles are connected to massive anchors embedded in the exposed anchorage. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Ma'anshan tower tops have a one-of-a-kind cross beam design that looks like wood molding you might see in a doorway. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The only way to visit the suspension bridge from the east side of the Yangtze was across this ferry to an island in the middle of the river. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The fog partially obscures what might be the nicest cable stayed towers along the entire Yangtze - the 215 meter tall steel wishbone supports of the 3rd Nanjing bridge that curve continuously from foundation to top. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Nanjing Dashengguan Bridge is located on the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway line and has a whopping 6 rail lines that cross over two steel arch trusses of 336 meters that represent the longest double span railway arch in the world. The total length of this huge crossing is 9.273 kilometers. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Jiangxinzhou Bridge in Nanjing City is a single-tower spatial cable self-anchored suspension bridge with a main span of 248 meters. There are very few bridges of this type in the world. The largest is now under construction in California for the replacement of the San Francisco Bay Bridge Eastern Span. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The west side span cables support the deck from the center median unlike the Bay Bridge where the cables are always on the outside of the deck. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The cables terminate into this massive concrete cross beam. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
For many decades the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was China’s most famous crossing. It was completed in 1968 and is the first double-decker, double-track highway and railway bridge designed and constructed by the Chinese without outside engineering assistance as was done with the 1957 Wuhan Railway Bridge. The upper road deck is 4,588 meters long across truss spans of 160 meters. The lower railway deck is 6,772 meters long and 14 meters wide. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A large statue of Mao greets visitors in the museum at the base of the east tower. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With just one crossing for over 3 decades, the city of Nanjing finally built a 2nd crossing in 2001 in the form of the huge Nanjing 2 cable stayed bridge with a main span of 628 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Runyang South Bridge is part of a large bridge complex that crosses two sections of the Yangtze River that are divided by the island of Siyezhou in the middle. The main span of 1,490 meters is the fifth longest in the world and the second longest in China after the Xihoumen Bridge. The streamlined orthotropic steel box girder is 3 meters in depth and 39 meters wide to accommodate 6 lanes.
The north bridge is a cable-stayed structure with a main span of 406 meters supported on towers 150 meters tall. Construction of the bridge began in October 2000 and was completed in April of 2005 at a cost of 5.8 billion Yuan (about U.S. $700 million). Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The five star hotel on the island of Siyezhou had a beautiful mural of the bridge. Sadly there were few people staying at the hotel which offers great views of both bridges from a restaurant on an upper floor. Image by Georges.
Opening in 2013, the 4th Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is one of the longest span suspension bridges in the world with a tower to tower distance of 1,418 meters. The material within both 229 meter tall towers is mainly concrete, but at the top of each tower there is a unique steel cross-beam arch between the tower legs. The 6-lane deck of the bridge consists of a streamlined steel box girder with an overall width of 38.2 meters and a depth of 3.5 meters. The estimated cost is about 17.7 million yuan (CNY) or 2.6 billion dollars (USD). Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A stronger "anchor" suspender on the east end was unusual as it seemed to eliminate the need for a small cable saddle that is normally used. The main cable would be pulling upward slightly instead of downward. The engineering reasons for this change are not completely clear. Image by Georges.
For the second year in a row we managed to get to the top of a major bridge tower. In 2012 we got lucky at the giant Taizhou suspension bridge with its record breaking back to back suspension spans of 1080 meters. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Georges.
Image by Georges.
The concrete cross member at the top of the tower is a large cavernous room. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The climb to the top of the 180 meter tower required an exhausting trek up several dozen flights of stairs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
But the view was absolutely worth it! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A view down the temporary elevator support shaft. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The bridge will have opened by the end of 2012. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The cavernous interior of the Taizhou tower top cross connector. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
It sure was a relief to know we could take the elevator back down! Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Without the clutter of a center barrier and lane striping, the massive black deck appears even larger. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The world's second tallest transmission towers cross the Yangtze River near the Jiangyin Bridge. With a height of 346.5 meters these monsters dwarf even the Eiffel Tower. A spiral staircase and a one-man elevator are the only way maintenance workers can reach the top! The cables span 2.3 kilometers between the two towers. In nearby Ningbo an even taller set of transmission towers reach 370 meters in height. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
All of the structural members are made of intricate truss beams. Image by Georges.
The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge was the most seaward bridge to cross the Yangtze River of China at the time of its completion in 1999. Since then the Sutong and Shanghai Chongming Bridge/Tunnel have been constructed further downstream. With a main span of 1,385 meters, Jiangyin was the first really long span bridge to be built in China and is still among the world's top 20 longest spans. The 190 meter tall concrete towers support a streamlined steel box girder deck. Since this was in the early era of large Chinese bridge building, the construction was conducted by Cleveland Bridge & Engineering Company of the United Kingdom. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Goodwin Steel Castings Ltd. of the United Kingdom manufactured the wire cables for the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With no other railway bridges so far down the Yangtze, this bridge allows trains to board a ferry. Plans are underway for a new road and railway bridge downstream of this crossing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With a span of 1,088 meters, the Sutong Bridge had the longest cable-stayed span in the world from 2007 to 2012 before it was surpassed by Russia's Russky Island Bridge. The two towers of the Sutong Bridge are 300 metres high and are the third tallest in the world behind the Russky Island and Millau Bridges. The bridge received the 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement award (OCEA) from the American Society of Civil Engineers. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Often overlooked, Sutong Bridge has one of the 20 longest concrete beam spans in the world at 268 meters. Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Sutong Bridge park has many full size examples of the bridge deck as well as a 2-story building that houses what is arguably the best single bridge museum ever created. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
We encountered one of the largest traffic jams ever on our drive to the Shanghai Chongming Island Bridge. Luckily this huge backup of several kilometers was headed in the opposite direction. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Shanghai Chongming Yangtze River Bridge and tunnel stretch 16.63 kilometers across the mouth of the Yangtze River. The tunnel portion is 8.9 kilometers in length and has two stacked levels. The upper level has three lanes in each direction while the lower level is reserved for a future Shanghai Metro line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The 10 kilometer bridge section consists of a central cable stayed span of 730 meters which ranks among the 20 longest in the world. It is rare for a cable stayed bridge so large to have a single mast design, allowing the 208 meter tall towers to split the roadway lanes into two separate steel decks. Only the Stonecutters Bridge in Hong Kong is larger among this type of bridge. The total combined length of the route is 25.5 km and the total cost was 12.6 billion yuan (US$1.84 billion). The remaining gap between Chongming and the north bank of the Yangtze is crossed by the Chongqi Bridge and the Chonghai Bridge, collectively forming the most downstream crossing of the Yangtze. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The approaches were given a sigmoid "S" shape. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Once the longest cable stayed bridge in the world, the Yangpu Bridge was completed in 1993 with a main span of 602 meters. The deck is 30.35 meters wide with six lanes of traffic. The two pylons reach 223 meters in height. The bridge was originally unpainted but for the millennium it was coated with red paint. The name Yangpu Bridge (杨浦大桥) inscribed on each pylon was originally hand-written by a former leader. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Nanpu Bridge was the first major cable stayed bridge built in China when it opened in 1991. With a main span of 428 meters, the distance was almost double the previous longest span Chinese bridge. Like many early Chinese spans, the steel for the composite girder and the cables were imported from Europe. Since that time, China has established its own wire manufacturing and exports strands to many other cable stayed bridge projects around the world. Nanpu was designed by the Shanghai Municipal Design Institute with assistance from T.Y. Lin and Buckland and Taylor and was the first major Chinese bridge contract to be awarded to foreigners. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Lupu Bridge is the world's second longest arch bridge after Chaotianmen Bridge in Chongqing City. The Lupu Bridge is a steel box "basket handle" through arch bridge. The central span of the deck is suspended from two sets of 28 double cables.
The span received the 2008 IABSE Outstanding Structure Award for being “A soaring box-arch bridge with a record span, clean impressive lines and innovative use of the side spans of the arch and the deck to resist the thrust of the main arch”. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With spectacular views of the Shanghai region and the Huangpu River, we were surprised there were not more tourists doing the hike to the top of the arch. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Lupu Bridge became a major symbol of the International Expo 2010 that took place along the riverbanks from May to October of that year. More then 250 countries participated with many constructing innovative pavilions with edgy architecture that often reflected the culture of that country. China's inverted red pyramid was the largest of the many themed buildings. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Many of the pavilions were removed after the Expo ended. Over 73 million attended the event breaking the previous record of 70 million at the Expo 70 in Osaka, Japan. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The side of the bridge was lit up for the Expo 2010 with lights and colored LEDs. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
With a span of 590 meters supported on towers 212 meters tall, the Xupu Bridge was China's longest span cable stayed bridge when it opened in 1997 and still ranks among the world's top 30. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Georges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Minpu Bridge is now the longest span across the Huangpu River with a pylon to pylon distance of 708 meters. The length is also a record among all double decker truss cable stayed bridges. There are 6 lanes of traffic on the top and 4 lanes on the bottom. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Nearby Minpu 2 is another large crossing of the Huangpu River with a main span of 251.4 meters. The upper deck carries a highway while the lower level serves a Shanghai railway line. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Hangzhou Bay Bridge was the longest continuous trans-oceanic bridge in the world. Opened to the public in 2008, the bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km to 280 km and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
There is a multi-level "mall", museum and observation tower on the south end of the bridge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Jintang is one of 2 large cable stayed bridges along the new Zhoushan Trans-oceanic bridge on the Zhoushan Archipelago - the largest offshore island group in China. The bridge is 21 kilometers in total length (18.4 kilometers over the sea), and consists of a main span of 620 meters making it among the world's 20 longest. Overall Jintang is the fourth longest road bridge over water in China after the Jiaozhou, Hangzhou Bay and Donghai Bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Xihoumen Bridge is the second-longest suspension bridge in the world as ranked by the length of the center span. The 5.3-kilometre-long suspension bridge has a 2.6-kilometre-long main bridge with a central span of 1,650 metres. The approaches total 2.7 kilometers. The central span has a special box design that allows wind ventilation in the center of the roadway as well as adding strength transversly. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A local park had some small models of the Zhoushan Island Bridges. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Taoyaomen Bridge crosses a deep underwater valley. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Completed in 2011, the Yongjiang River Bridge is one of the 20 longest span arch bridge in the world at 450 meters. Similar to the through arch Lupu Bridge in nearby Shanghai, the 2 main ribs are wide at the base and meet eachother 95 meters above the water. The main span was constructed by temporary cable stays connected to towers 150 meters high. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Qingshuipu Bridge is a rare side by side cable stayed bridge with double diamond towers that support a span of 468 meters. The bridge opened in 2012 and also crosses the Yongjiang River on the outskirts of Ningbo City. The 8-lane deck is 56.7 meters wide made up of steel box sections that are about 27 meters wide. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A parallel cable stayed railway bridge is also under construction and should be completed by 2014. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com