OREANDA-NEWS.  December 12, 2012. Taizhou Yangtze Highway Bridge was open to traffic as the world’s first suspension bridge with a continuous main span of over 1,000 meters.

With a full length of 62 meters and a total investment of 9.37 billion yuan, the bridge connects three state highways--Beijing-Shanghai Highway, Shanghai-Xi’an Highway and Shanghai-Chengdu Highway, and is composed of four parts including north connecting line, main river-crossing bridge and south connecting line.

In two-way six-lane design, with a width of 32.5 meters and a navigable clearance of 52 meters, the bridge stretches from Xuanbao hub on Nanjing-Nantong Highway to Tangzhuang hub on Shanghai-Nanjing Highway. The bridge has created five world records: the double-pylon two-span suspension bridge with a ultra large span of 2?1080m; the 200-meter-high vertical herringbone and lateral gate-type frame steel pylon; the depth of the underwater open caisson foundation of the middle pylon; the erection length of W-shaped main cable; and the synchronous symmetric hoisting of the steel box girder of the two-span suspension bridge. Section C05, G04 and H01 undertaken by CCCC Second Harbor Engineering Co., Ltd. has a total contract value of 829 million yuan; and seven sections including B01, C01, C02 and E06 undertaken by CCCC Second Highway Engineering Co., Ltd. has a total contract value of 1.67 billion yuan.

The opening of the bridge will play a significant role in further perfecting national and provincial trunk highway network, cementing the cross-straits economic ties, stepping up the rise of central Suzhou and promoting the integrated development of the Yangtze River Delta.