Wujiang Fuling Arch Bridge

Wujiang Fuling Arch Bridge
涪陵乌江大桥
Fuling, Chongqing, China
276 feet high / 84 meters high
656 and 722 foot spans / 200 and 220 meter spans
1989, 2019

The Wujiang Fuling Arch bridge consists of two side by side 2-lane spans that were built in 1989 and 2019 to allow local traffic to cross the giant Wu River near its junction with the Yangtze River. The 200 meter span 1989 bridge is probably the second arch in China to be built by the rotation method where the two halves of the arch were constructed just above the ground on either hillside and then rotated out over the canyon in one careful maneuver and then closed at the crown. Longmens Bridge in Wushan, Chongqing was the first to use this method of construction in 1987.

In 2019 a parallel Fuling arch crossing with a span of 220 meters was constructed, doubling the width of the road to 4 lanes. The lower arch foundations of both spans were surrounded by semi-circular boat collision barriers to avoid any catastrophes.