Why is Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge special?
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, as the longest bridge with the dual functions of highway and railway, is the first bridge in China solely designed and constructed by the country without external engineering assistance. The bridge is the longest of its kinds in China and is a landmark for Nanjing.
The gigantic cross-river project formally began on January 18, 1960 and spent 8 years to complete. The upper deck of the bridge is a highway with a span of 4,589 meters. The lower deck holds a twin-track railway with a length of 6,772 metersand a width of 14 meters that allows two trains to run in different directions. Below the bridge, ships of ten-thousand-ton class can pass through. It is the third biggest bridge crossing the Yangtze River after those in Wuhan and Chongqing.
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Highlights
Two bridge towers are located respectively at each end of the bridge each with a height of 70 meters (about 230 feet). They contain elevators which enable personal access to both decks of the bridge as well as the watchtowers. Under the southern bridge tower there is a beautiful park.
The bridge has nine piers altogether, among which the tallest one is 85 meters (about 279 feet) with the base area of about 400 square meters (478 square yards), larger than a basketball court.
At night, the brilliant 1048 light bulbs on the fences and the luminous 540 halogen lamps on the piers shine the Yangtze River bright as in daylight. It makes the bridge look like a pearl string lying on the Yangtze River.