China builds world's longest steel arch bridge

The steel arch bridge spanning the Yangtze River with a length of more than 11 km will set a record as the longest in the world when completed.

The Hutong Yangtze River Bridge spans the largest river in China, with a total length of 11,072 meters, nearly 10 times longer than the Sydney Harbor Bridge in Australia, Xinhua reported yesterday.

The massive $2.23 billion transport link is part of an effort to establish a new economic zone around Shanghai, China's commercial hub of 25 million people.

A video shared by Xinhua on Twitter shows the construction of the steel arch on the Tianshenggang Canal Bridge, a section of the Hutong Yangtze River Bridge, on October 22. The completion of the steel arch is a key step in the construction of the rail-road bridge, which is expected to be completed in 2019, according to People's Daily Online.

The newly completed steel arch on the Hutong Yangtze River Bridge. Photo: Xinhua

The Tianshenggang Canal Bridge span is located on the northern half of the Hutong Yangtze River Bridge and is 336 meters long. The steel span weighs 32,400 tons, equivalent to the weight of three Eiffel Towers. The main body of the Tianshenggang Canal Bridge will be built this year.

The Hutong Yangtze River Bridge will become the world's longest steel arch bridge upon completion. The main span of the bridge is 1,092 meters wide, nearly double that of the Chaotianmen Bridge, the world's longest steel arch bridge with a span of 552 meters. When completed, the Hutong Yangtze River Bridge will reduce the driving time from Shanghai to Nantong from two hours to just one hour.

According to VNE