The Wenzhou Oujiang North Estuary Bridge. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]
The Wenzhou Oujiang North Estuary Bridge, the world's first steel truss double-deck suspension bridge with three towers and four spans, opened to traffic on May 27.
The opening of the bridge marks the completion of the Yongguan Expressway connecting the three provinces of Guangdong, Fujian and Zhejiang. It also provides a new travel route for residents of Wenzhou.
As a control project of the Yongguan Expressway (G1523) and National Highway 228 (from Dandong, Liaoning province to Dongxing, Guangxi province) crossing the Oujiang River in Zhejiang province, the Oujiang North Estuary Bridge adhered to the "two bridges combined" construction principle – the upper layer is the double line of Yongtaiwen Expressway, and the lower layer is National Highway 228.
The Wenzhou Oujiang North Estuary Bridge opens to traffic on May 27. [Photo/zjol.com.cn]
The Oujiang North Estuary Bridge, totaling 7.9 kilometers in length with two-way six lanes, is an all-steel structure with two spans crossing the river.
The bridge shortens travel time between Yueqing, a county-level city in Wenzhou, and the Wenzhou Airport from more than an hour to just 10 minutes.
With the design supervised by the China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute and construction carried out by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group and China Railway Hi-Tech Industry Corporation Limited, the bridge has set three world records: the world's first steel truss double-deck suspension bridge with three towers and four spans, the world's first multi-tower bridge using concrete to build the central tower, and the world's first bridge with a super-large open caisson in the deep soft soil of a strong-tide estuary.
