- The 10,3 km Changtai Bridge crosses the Yangtze and integrates road and railway.
- Main span of 1.208 m: exceeds the Russky Bridge (1.104 m).
- Innovations: carbon fiber tendon cables, underwater robots, and smart cranes.
- Load tests with 110 trucks and a declared structural capacity of 530.000 tons.
China has opened to traffic the Changtai Bridge, a mega-work that is presented as the largest cable-stayed bridge in the world by deck length and main span, and which decisively reinforces connectivity over the Yangtze River.
Located in Jiangsu province, the link connects Changzhou and Taizhou with a structure of 10,3 kilometers, a central span of 1.208 meters and towers of 350 meters high, all in a multimodal configuration that combines road and rail.
What makes the Changtai the largest cable-stayed bridge?
It is not a suspension bridge: in a suspension bridge the deck hangs from main cables in catenary; in the Changtai, of type cable-stayed, the board is fixed directly to the towers by means of inclined cables, which defines its structural behavior and visual profile.
Its main light of 1.208 m breaks the bridge record Russian in Vladivostok (1.104 m) and joins other milestones: the Changtai is a combined road-rail bridge in a reference steel frame, with the most extensive continuity of lattice beams in its category.
With the commissioning, the travel time between both banks of the Yangtze is significantly reduced: the journey goes from more than 80 minutes to about 20, a leap that boosts economic activity and daily mobility in the river delta.
The two-level design includes, on the top, a six-lane highway (100 km/h) and, in the lower part, an unprecedented asymmetrical arrangement with interurban railway at 200 km/h next to a four-lane local road (80 km/h), integrated side by side.
Engineering innovation and construction
The work, carried out over the course of six years under the leadership of China Communications Construction, left several milestones: the highest driving speed for large drawers in silty clay, first smart tower crane with a capacity of over 10.000 tonnes-metres and advances in steel-concrete composite pylons manufactured in an industrialized way.
For the first time in this type of structures were used carbon fiber tendons to form high-strength composite cables, less sensitive to temperature and with better performance against corrosion, increasing the durability of the bracing system.
The towers in the shape of Diamond, 350 m, combine steel and concrete to improve stability. Its foundations, resolved with caissons reinforced, are designed to withstand the strong currents of the Yangtze; as the project manager Li Zhen described, the solidity “depends on the underwater box.”
The asymmetry of the lower board posed a balancing challenge: the chief scientist's team Qin Shunquan adjusted the tension of the straps on the railway side to increase lift and, in parallel, calibrated the shape and weight of each prefabricated segment so that, when they were lifted and assembled, the structure would be level.
During underwater operations were introduced intelligent robots capable of navigating complex terrain and clearing caisson areas, reducing diving tasks. In addition, the largest crane for bridge decks of its kind to position massive segments with millimeter precision.
Testing, capacity and scope
Final verification included a test with 110 trucks y 4.400 tons simultaneous loading. According to its managers, the structure can handle a capacity of 530.000 metric tons, providing a safety margin under extreme loads.
El Yangtze, With 6.300 km, is the longest river in Asia and a key logistical hub; in recent decades the number of bridges over its course has grown from just over a dozen to More than 150, and the Changtai reinforces this process of territorial integration in eastern China.
As for records, Changtai holds the record in the category cable-stayed; for its part, between the bridges Hanging highlights the Huajiang Canyon in China, with outstanding figures of height and light, although it belongs to a different structural type.
With its combination of great light, triple transport mode and innovations constructive, the Changtai Bridge consolidates a new standard for large-span river crossings and brings a tangible improvement in times, safety and capacity for regional transit in Jiangsu.
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