The bridge which amazes foreigners is called the Chishi Super Bridge. It is currently the world’s largest prestressed concrete beam cable-stayed bridge with high piers and multiple towers.

 

 

 

The bridge, located in Chishi Township, Yizhang County, Chenzhou City, is an important part of the G76 Xiamen-Chengdu Expressway and a landmark bridge in the Chenzhou expressway network. 

 

The bridge is 1,470 meters long and approximately 1,500 meters wide, with a designed speed of 80 kilometers per hour. 

 

The main bridge is designed as a four-tower double-cable plane prestressed concrete cable-stayed bridge, with a main span of 380 meters and a bridge deck height of 182 meters, equivalent to that of a 60-story building.

 

The bridge is magnificent and spectacular, and has an artistic design. Its four main towers are in an inverted Y-shape, with slender towers.

 

It attracted the attention of the world when opened to traffic. For instance, a special report was made in the Daily Mail. 

 

In addition, the main span of the bridge is 380 meters, making it the world’s largest high-pier multi-tower prestressed concrete beam cable-stayed bridge. 

 

The maximum pier height is 182 meters, making it the world’s tallest concrete cable-stayed bridge pier. 

 

The main beam was constructed with a hanging basket of a maximum bearing capacity of 760 tons, which is the world’s heaviest. 

 

The maximum difference in pile length between the same pier group piles is 57 meters, setting a new record in the history of bridges in the world. 

 

The four main towers are designed in an “S” shape with double-sided hyperbolic waistlines, which is also the world’s first. 

 

The landscape steel guardrail is the first one to achieve a protection level of HA at home and abroad.

 

The bridge is the first one to withstand strong winds up to 12 levels in the world.

 

The bridge was open to traffic on October 28, 2016, marking the full completion of the Hunan section of the Xiamen-Chengdu Expressway. It has shortened the vehicle travel time between Hunan and Fujian as well as Sichuan, and boosted the economic development of the surrounding cities and counties in Chenzhou.

 

Pinghe Village of Yizhang County, 6.4 kilometers away from the bridge, is rich in dried sweet potatoes. As it is located in a mountainous and hilly area, with a large temperature difference between day and night, it’s difficult to preserve ordinary agricultural products in the village. So, almost all people make a living by planting sweet potatoes and selling related agricultural and sideline products.

 

 

 

“At that time, it’s our key problem how to transport dried sweet potatoes to Guangdong,” said a villager from Pinghe Village, adding that before the bridge was opened, Guangdong Province was the first choice. If villagers wanted to sell them in Jiangxi, they had to climb over Yangmei Mountain and take the provincial highway 207 to get on the highway from Litian Toll Station, which not only incurred high transportation costs and low profits, but also posed risks when crossing mountains.

 

With the opening of the bridge, villagers have more choices. Meanwhile, the convenient highway network has also made e-commerce and online sales possible. “Pinghe dried sweet potatoes” now can be sold to many provinces in the country and become one of the well-known “favorites” of the people nationwide.

 

In order to make the bridge more comfortable and safe, HNEG Chenzhou Branch has introduced multiple advanced bridge detection systems such as “bridge health monitoring system” and “intelligent detection system for beam bottom”.

 

 

 

“Automatic collection and analysis of beam bottom disease data are carried out regularly to ensure the safety of the bridge,” said Chen Gang, director of the Litian Management Institute, adding that the use of an automated detection system can not only monitor the bridge in real time, but also reduce the risk of manual maintenance, save costs, and improve safety.

 

 

 

The bridge, shrouded in clouds and mist and surrounded by the towering mountains, is the pride of China.