The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge after opening to traffic

The opening ceremony scene

A cargo ship slowly passes under the bridge

On the lower reaches of the Yangtze River, hundreds of boats compete, and thousands of sails set forth.

Between the Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge and the Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge in Jiangsu Province, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge spans the river like a steel giant, closely connecting «Dragon City» Changzhou and «Phoenix City» Taizhou. Recently, as the first car slowly drove across the wide bridge deck, this highly anticipated world-class bridge officially opened to traffic, reducing the travel time between Changzhou and Taizhou to 20 minutes.

The cross-river section of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, constructed with participation from a central enterprise based in Wuhan, spans 10.03 kilometers. The public-rail co-construction section is about 5.3 kilometers long and consists of a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 1,208 meters, two steel truss arch bridges with main spans of 388 meters, and a continuous steel truss girder bridge. It has set world records for the largest span cable-stayed bridge, the largest span public-rail dual-use steel truss arch bridge, and the longest continuous steel truss girder.

As a composite public-rail river-crossing passage, the completion of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge achieved «four world firsts» and set «six world records,» marking a new breakthrough in China’s bridge technology.

A

Threading the Needle at Over 300 Meters High

The World’s Heaviest Stay Cables Precisely Anchored

Looking toward the center of the river, the 350-meter-high main tower stands tall, reaching toward the sky. Along the tower, hundreds of white stay cables fan out, strongly connecting the towering bridge tower and the long bridge deck. Between the sky and the water, the main navigation bridge resembles a giant vertical harp leaning against the river, resting quietly on the riverbanks. Each «string» of this harp embodies extreme craftsmanship and courage.

«Each stay cable consists of hundreds of parallel steel wires with a diameter of 7 millimeters, with a tensile strength of up to 2,100 MPa, making it the highest-strength parallel steel wire stay cable for bridges in the world. The longest stay cable measures over 630 meters and weighs 103 tons, also the longest and heaviest stay cable globally.»

In October 2023, with the summer heat still lingering over the Yangtze River, construction workers began «threading the needle» on the main tower over 300 meters high, precisely installing each stay cable on the bridge tower and securely connecting it to the bridge deck. The stay cable installation used a process of «tower-end installation, girder-end pressure anchoring, tower-end hard traction, and girder-end soft traction.» The biggest challenge during installation was the tower-end anchoring.

«During anchoring, a tower-top lifting and tower-internal traction method was used, similar to threading a needle, where the stay cable had to be threaded into the cable conduit and then fixed.» Since the inner diameter of the stay cable conduit was only 12 millimeters larger than the outer diameter of the cable head, the cable head’s posture and anchoring timing had to be highly precise to achieve one-time anchoring. «It was like threading a thick line through a small needle eye, with very little room for error, relying entirely on precise handling.»

After nine months of relentless effort, by June 2024, 312 stay cables unfolded like the arms of a giant, steadily supporting the bridge deck between the river and the sky.

B

Performing «Weight and Height Reduction» Surgery on the Caisson

Intelligent Systems Ensure Visible and Controllable Construction

The bridge’s main tower stands 350 meters high, equivalent to a 120-story building. If the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge is compared to a human body, the two main towers are its legs, and the key to their stability lies in the underwater caissons below the river surface.

During the initial design phase, calculations showed that the caisson needed to sink to over 65 meters below the water surface to stand firm. However, the deeper it went, the greater the risk. To address this, the bridge pioneered a stepped caisson foundation with reduced scouring and self-weight, successfully performing «weight and height reduction surgery» on the caisson. Despite

Changtai Yangtze River Bridge

The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge is a major infrastructure project currently under construction in Jiangsu Province, China. Once completed, it will be the world’s largest span suspension-arch combination bridge, integrating a highway, ordinary road, and railway to connect the cities of Changzhou and Taixing. Its development, beginning in the late 2010s, is a key part of the regional Yangtze River Delta economic integration strategy.

Yangtze River

The Yangtze River is the longest river in Asia and a cradle of Chinese civilization, with a history of human settlement and irrigation dating back millennia. It has been a vital transportation artery and economic hub throughout China’s history, shaping the culture and development of the region. Today, it is also famous for the monumental Three Gorges Dam, the world’s largest power station.

Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge

The Taizhou Yangtze River Bridge is a major cable-stayed bridge in Jiangsu Province, China, opened to traffic in 2012. It was a significant engineering achievement as the world’s first three-tower suspension bridge across a major waterway, designed to span the wide Yangtze River estuary. Its construction improved regional transportation links and facilitated economic development in the Yangtze River Delta.

Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge

The Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge is a major suspension bridge in Jiangsu Province, China, which opened to traffic in 1999. At the time of its completion, it was the longest suspension bridge in China and held the distinction of having the world’s longest span for a suspension bridge with a steel box girder. It was a landmark infrastructure project designed to improve transportation links and economic development across the Yangtze River delta.

Dragon City

Dragon City is a modern commercial and residential complex in Toronto, Canada, developed in the 2010s. It is a prominent landmark in the city’s Chinatown, featuring a distinctive pagoda-style architecture and serving as a major hub for Asian cuisine, retail, and cultural festivals.

Changzhou

Changzhou is a historic city in Jiangsu Province, China, with a history dating back over 3,200 years to the Spring and Autumn period. It is renowned for its rich cultural heritage, including ancient canals and the Tianning Temple, a magnificent Buddhist pagoda. Today, it is also a major industrial and manufacturing center.

Phoenix City

Phoenix City is a county-level city in Guangdong Province, China, located on the east bank of the Han River. Historically, it was a key area for the Hakka people and is known for its traditional Hakka circular houses (tulou). Today, it is an important economic zone and a popular tourist destination for its natural hot springs.

Taizhou

Taizhou is a coastal prefecture-level city in Zhejiang Province, China, with a history dating back over two thousand years to its establishment during the Western Han Dynasty. It is historically significant as the birthplace of the first pagoda built by the monk Zhiyi, the founder of the Tiantai school of Buddhism. Today, the city is known for its manufacturing industry and its proximity to significant religious and cultural sites, including the Tiantai Mountain.