New Yangtze Bridge Adds Color to Inland City

The newly completed highway and railway bridge across the Yangtze River in Wuhu, in east China's Anhui Province, which was opened to traffic on September 30, has added a new scenic site to this southeastern Chinese inland river port city.

On October 1, when people from other parts of the country indulged themselves in various kinds of National Day festivities, thousands of local citizens swarmed to the Wuhu Yangtze Bridge, the last bridge built this century over the mighty river, and took a look around.

The city government of Wuhu suspended traffic on the bridge for four days during the National Day holiday, October 1-7, so that more people may have a closer look at the city from the bridge.

Su Shanfa, 74, expressed his congratulations on the completion of the new bridge by donating two organizational name plates to the museum of Wuhu Yangtze Bridge. The old man has kept the two plates -- one for the preparatory work committee of Wuhu Yangtze Bridge and another for the construction headquarters of the bridge -- for 43 years.

Gently touching balusters on both sides of the bridge, Sun had tears in his eyes. "Wuhu Yangtze Bridge is not only a major State project, but also our bridge of hope into the new century," said Sun.

On the bridge, some newlyweds were most eye-catching. Bridegroom Lou Xiangbao, a driver with Wuhu Taxi Co., Ltd., who wore a black outfit, was receiving blessings from relatives and tourists together with his bride on the bridge. The couple were happy and full of smiles.

"It will leave us a life-long memory by celebrating our marriage, the millennium National Day and the operation of the bridge together on the bridge," said Lou. He said previously he had to use the ferry service if his clients wanted to go to the other side of the river, wasting several hours on each trip.

"With the operation of the new bridge, it only takes several minutes to cross the river via the bridge and it is much easier todo business now," said the bridegroom. E.A. Lambert, president of Asia-Pacific Regional Business of FKI PLC Engineering Group of Britain, also joined the local crowd and walked across the 6-kilometer-long bridge.

Pointing to the lighting on the bridge, Lambert said a French subsidiary of the FKI PLC provided the bridge builders with some of the company's lighting equipment.

He went on to say that China's improved transport infrastructure has created a fine investment environment. He promised to come back again next year to inspect the bridge and the new economic development park adjacent to the bridge and discuss the feasibility of carrying out cooperation with local companies in developing high-tech projects."

Fang Qinhan, a well-known Chinese bridge expert and also a member of the Chinese Academy of Engineering, took part in the design and construction of the four bridges across the Yangtze in Wuhan, Nanjing, Jiujiang and Wuhu. He said all the new technologies, new materials, new structures and new techniques used in building Wuhu Yangtze Bridge have met the world's advanced standards.

He described the four Yangtze River bridges in Wuhan, Nanjing, Jiujiang and Wuhu as the four milestones in China's bridge history of the century -- from the time of having to rely on imported technologies to build a bridge, the stage of self reliance and innovations, the period of creation, to the stage of becoming one of the world's sophisticated bridge building countries.

He said there are now 24 bridges across the Yangtze River, with more than a half having been constructed in the past decade.

The Wuhu Yangtze Bridge was listed as one of the major State projects for the Ninth Five-Year-Plan period (1996-2000) in 1995 and began construction in March 1997. The bridge cost 4.6 billion yuan (about 554 million U.S. dollars), which was jointly invested by the Ministry of Railway and Anhui Provincial Government.

The bridge improves transportation in Anhui Province which is divided into two parts as the Yangtze River flows through the central part of the inland province. The bridge is expected to play a big role in promoting local economic development as it will further improve the structure of the railway and highway networks in the eastern part of the country.



People's Daily Online --- http://english.peopledaily.com.cn/