Images | Construction progresses on record-breaking high-speed rail and highway bridge in China

China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group (part of China Railway Group) is building the Nanchang Yangtze Island Ganjiang River Rail-Cum-Road Bridge in Nanchang, Jiangsu province in east China.

The company completed both main towers for the bridge earlier this summer. It forms part of the CNY32.4 billion (US$4.5 billion) Nanchang-Jiujiang high-speed railway. The line will span 138 kilometres, with bridges and tunnels making up 82% of the line.

The Nanchang Yangtze Island Ganjiang River Rail-Cum-Road Bridge stretches 19 kilometers from north to south, crossing the west, central, and south branches of the Ganjiang River.

Construction workers are working in China’s Nanchang-Jiujiang High-speed Railway Ganjiang River Highway and Railway Bridge, the China’s first 350km/h mixed-layer bridge, in Nanchang, Jiangsu province, China, Oct 10, 2024. (Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA)

It is a large-span rail-cum-road bridge that integrates both high-speed rail, an urban expressway and an urban main road.

The main tower of the bridge features an H-shaped curved structure that stands 144.6m tall and required 14 months to build. The bridge features a harp-shaped, cable-stayed design, including cables made up of 547 steel wires, each of which is 7mm in diameter and has a strength of 1,860 MpA, according to China Railway Group. Each cable has a diameter of 21.1cm, making it among the largest diameter cables in China.

The six world records that China Railway Group claims the bridge will break on completion are: 

• The world’s first rail-cum-road bridge with the highest number of lanes (12 lanes) and the greatest traffic capacity.
• The world’s first cable-stayed bridge with a 320-meter main span designed for trains running at a speed of 350 km/h.
• The world’s first cable-stayed bridge with a harp-shaped cable arrangement designed for a speed of 350 km/h.
• The world’s first cable-stayed bridge with large cantilever steel trusses.
• The world’s rail-cum-road bridge with the largest diameter stay cables.
• The world’s first cable-stayed bridge using elastic restraint bearings.

Construction workers are working in China’s Nanchang-Jiujiang High-speed Railway Ganjiang River Highway and Railway Bridge, the China’s first 350km/h mixed-layer bridge, in Nanchang, Jiangsu province, China, Oct 10, 2024. (Photo by CFOTO/Sipa USA)