The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, the world’s largest span cable-stayed bridge, was officially opened to traffic on the 9th. It is like a “steel dragon” spanning the Yangtze River, closely connecting the two cities of Changzhou and Taizhou in Jiangsu Province, China.
The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge’s main channel spans a 1,208-meter main span, setting a world record for the longest-span cable-stayed bridge. Architecture began in October 2019. As a double-deck, combined road-rail crossing, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge boasts a total steel deck paving area exceeding 250,000 square meters on both the upper and lower levels, equivalent to 33 standard football fields.
Li Zhen, on-site commander of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge Construction Headquarters of the Jiangsu Provincial Transportation Engineering Construction Bureau, explained that the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge incorporates several pioneering designs. For example, the steel-concrete hybrid structure’s diamond-shaped pylons effectively increase the bridge’s structural rigidity, reduce the size of individual pylons, minimize cracking in large concrete volumes, and achieve a harmonious balance between landscape and structure. Regarding new materials, the construction team employed carbon fiber reinforcement for the first time to create lightweight, high-strength, and ultra-long composite cables, reducing the size of the foundation and minimizing bridge expansion and contraction.
In addition, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge construction team utilized remote control to advance the project using crawler-type suction ditch robots that can navigate complex underwater terrain as if it were flat ground, as well as gantry-type suction ditch robots that can drill into the corners of caissons to remove sand and soil.
The opening of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge not only plays a significant role in improving the regional road network and promoting the coordinated development of the Yangtze River city cluster, but also holds significant significance for the development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt and the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.
