14 DAY TRIAL // China's Taizhou Bridge is one of the boldest constructions known to man, being the first long-span bridge in the world to have a three-tower suspension. For its uniqueness, the bridge received this year’s Structural Award after beating more than a dozen amazing pieces of engineering.
The bridge goes across the third longest river in the world, the Yangtze, and features the longest distances between the pillars.
The two main suspension spans are longer than a kilometer, 3,543ft (1,080 meters) and hold six lanes of traffic, while connected by three massive 650ft (198 meters) tall towers. The project's cost is estimated around $400(€295) million.
“Considerable research and development efforts are applied to solve the issues created by the asymmetric live loading, which is the unique feature of this bridge. The team developed innovative solutions, including a central tower that was required to be both stiff and yet flexible enough,” the Structural Designer Jiangsu Provincial Communications Planning and Design Institute said according to Istructe.
The Yangtze River is located in the province of Jiangsu, known for hosting the world's largest hydro-electric power station, The Three Gorges Dam and three of the world's longest bridges.
The Yangtze river is a focal point in China's economy generating almost a third of its GDP and serving as a catalyst in China's amazing infrastructural development.
China's Taizhou Bridge is 3,500 feet (1,066 meters) longer than the Brooklyn Bridge and is now the proud winner of 2013’ Structural Design Awards for being the first long-span suspension bridge of its kind to be both designed and constructed.
The bridge holds a revolutionary design and stretches the boundaries of both suspension technology and heights. The gigantic project is now a model for the future development of long-span bridges all over the world.