Construction of the Chongqi highway and railroad Yangtze River bridge, which will link Chongming Island in Shanghai to Qidong, a county-level city in Nantong city of Jiangsu province, has reached piers 3 and 4 of the main tower, according to CCTV News.

With a pace of 0.55 meters per day, the main tower is expected to reach a height of 105 meters by the end of this year.

The bridge, which will stretch 4.09 kilometers and span 400 meters, features twin towers that will support a dual-layered structure. It will accommodate a six-lane expressway with a designed speed of 100 kilometers per hour on the upper deck and double-track rail tracks on the lower level for high-speed railways with a designed speed of 350 km per hour and intercity lines of 250 km per hour.

This bridge is a key project along the Shanghai-Nanjing-Hefei high-speed railway, which seeks to optimize connectivity between the major metropolitan areas of these cities. By establishing a fast new passageway across the Yangtze River Delta region, the railway aims to drive integrated development across the area.

According to the railway operator, an investment of a record-breaking 140 billion yuan ($19.5 billion) is planned on railway infrastructure across the YRD region this year.

Boasting more than 14,300 km of operating miles, of which more than 7,100 km were high-speed railways, the YRD railway network had 25 high-speed railways by the end of 2023, making it one of the most extensive high-speed railway networks in China.

According to the plans, the YRD railway network will expand its operating miles to 16,700 km by 2025, of which 9,200 km will be high-speed railways.

Source: CCTV News