China opens world’s first suspension bridge combining high-speed rail and road

China’s new suspension bridge integrating high-speed road and railway has been put into operation in the country’s eastern province of Jiangsu, state news agency Xinhua reports.

The Wufengshan Yangtze River Bridge has reportedly broken the world record for the fastest running speed of 250kph. The road-rail suspension bridge is 6.4km in length with a main span of 1,092 meters.

The double-deck bridge linking the two cities of Yangzhou and Zhenjiang boasts an eight-lane expressway on the upper deck and a high-speed railway on the lower deck.

The new bridge also features the world’s largest running load, as well as the largest span of its kind. It took five years to complete the project, which is considered a crucial addition to the local infrastructure.

Under the government’s 13th Five-Year Plan, China has recently seen a significant surge in bridge development. According to the China Railway Corporation, more than 14,000 railway bridges covering nearly 9,000km have been constructed since 2016, of which 6,392 are high-speed railway bridges with a total length of more than 6,343km.

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