Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a double-decker steel truss bridge spanning the Yangtze River in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, connecting the urban districts of Xiaguan and Pukou.[1] Completed in 1968, with the railway opening on September 30 and the highway on December 29, it was the first permanent bridge across the Yangtze at Nanjing, replacing unreliable ferry services and marking a milestone in Chinese infrastructure as the country's first major road-rail bridge designed and built entirely by domestic engineers without foreign aid after the Soviet Union withdrew assistance in 1960 due to the Sino-Soviet split.[1][2] The structure features an upper deck for a four-lane highway with sidewalks and a lower deck for double-track railway, integrating transportation functions in a single crossing that symbolized national self-reliance and technological progress during the Cultural Revolution.[1][3] Construction began in January 1960, involving thousands of workers and engineers who overcame challenges such as complex geology, deep water foundations, and limited materials through innovative domestic engineering techniques.[1] The main river-crossing section measures 1,577 meters in length, supported by nine piers in the water with a maximum span of 160 meters across ten spans, while the full highway viaduct extends 4,588 meters and the railway 6,772 meters, including approaches.[3][4] The bridge's design incorporates traditional Chinese decorative elements, such as 200 cast-iron reliefs of flowers and landscapes on the railings, alongside modern engineering to withstand the river's strong currents and seismic activity, with a clearance of 24 meters below the deck for navigation.[1][4] As a key artery on the Beijing-Shanghai railway line and National Highway 104, the bridge has facilitated economic integration between northern and southern China, handling millions of passengers and vehicles annually since its opening.[2] It entered the Guinness Book of World Records as the longest bridge combining highway and railway functions at the time and remains an iconic landmark, celebrated in art, propaganda, and tourism despite ongoing maintenance needs, including a major $160 million renovation completed in 2018 to address aging components.[5][1] Today, it coexists with five subsequent Yangtze crossings in Nanjing, underscoring the city's evolution into a major transportation hub.[6]History
Planning and Design Initiation
The crossing of the Yangtze River at Nanjing had long depended on the Nanjing Railway Ferry, operational since 1933, which proved highly inefficient for rail transport. Trains required disassembly, loading onto ferries, crossing, unloading, and reassembly—a process that typically took over two hours and was frequently disrupted by adverse weather conditions, including dense fog, winter ice, and seasonal floods that halted operations for days or weeks.[7][1][8] Planning for a permanent bridge began in the mid-1950s under the leadership of Mao Zedong, aligning with China's push for rapid industrialization during the First Five-Year Plan (1953–1957). The State Council formally proposed the project toward the end of the plan in 1957, envisioning a dual-purpose road-rail structure to integrate Nanjing into the national transportation network. Initial efforts involved technical assistance from the Soviet Union, with the design modeled on the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge, completed in 1957 as China's first such crossing with Soviet support.[9][2][10] The momentum shifted dramatically with the Sino-Soviet split in 1960, which prompted the abrupt withdrawal of all Soviet experts and blueprints from the project just months after construction groundwork had begun. This geopolitical rupture compelled the Ministry of Railways to assume complete control, redesigning the bridge independently using domestic engineering talent and resources to overcome the loss of foreign aid.[1][7][2] Anticipated engineering challenges were formidable, given the Yangtze's powerful currents—capable of reaching speeds that complicated pier placement—and its flood-prone character, where water levels could fluctuate by up to 10 meters between dry and flood seasons, demanding robust foundations and adaptive structural planning.[11][7]Construction Process
Construction of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge commenced on 18 January 1960, mobilizing thousands of workers under the national campaign of self-reliance during the Great Leap Forward era.[12][13] This collective effort, supported by the Ministry of Railways and local governments in Jiangsu Province and Nanjing, highlighted communal labor as workers from across China contributed to the project amid economic and political pressures.[7] The construction unfolded in several key phases, beginning with foundation work in the deep waters of the Yangtze River, where depths exceeded 70 meters in places. Engineers employed cofferdams, including steel sheet pile circular cofferdams for pipe column foundations, to create stable enclosures for pier construction despite fast-flowing currents reaching 3 meters per second.[7][14][15] By April 1966, all nine main piers were completed using methods such as sinking wells and concrete pouring. Subsequent phases involved erecting the steel trusses via the cantilever method, with beams assembled from opposite riverbanks starting in November 1966, culminating in the structural closure at Pier No. 4 between 16 and 22 August 1967.[7][16] The double-deck structure was then installed, accommodating both railway on the lower level and highway on the upper, marking a significant engineering milestone in integrated transport infrastructure.[1] Following the withdrawal of Soviet advisors in 1960, Chinese engineers developed critical innovations to sustain progress, including the production of indigenous "16 manganese" bridge steel by Ansteel in 1963 to meet structural demands.[7] Riveting techniques were refined for the truss assembly, enabling precise cantilever erection without foreign blueprints, while pre-stressed concrete beams and wire mesh tubes enhanced pier stability in turbulent conditions.[7] These advancements underscored China's growing capacity for heavy industry and bridge engineering during a period of international isolation. The project faced major challenges, including severe floods that threatened progress; in 1964, Piers No. 4 and 5 were stabilized using a balanced weight method during inundation, and in spring 1966, all main piers endured widespread flooding without collapse.[7] Logistical hurdles arose in transporting massive steel components and materials to the site, compounded by worker safety concerns in deep-water operations and harsh environmental conditions.[15] Despite these obstacles, the bridge's core structure was completed by late 1968, demonstrating resilience through adaptive engineering and sustained labor commitment.[7]Completion and Inauguration
The final stages of construction for the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge culminated in 1968, marking a significant milestone in China's engineering efforts during the Cultural Revolution. The railway level was opened to traffic on 30 September 1968, allowing the first trains, including passenger and freight services, to cross the structure after successful load-bearing tests conducted days earlier.[15] To verify the bridge's integrity, military commander Xu Shiyou of the Nanjing Military Region ordered an armored regiment consisting of 118 amphibious tanks to traverse the span on 26 September 1968, spaced 50 meters apart to simulate heavy loads without causing structural stress.[15] The official inauguration ceremony for the railway opening took place shortly after, celebrated as a triumph of Mao Zedong Thought and national self-reliance, with congratulatory messages from Chairman Mao Zedong emphasizing the workers' achievements under proletarian revolutionary guidance.[2] Early operational adjustments followed, including monitoring vibrations and alignments during the initial passenger train crossings, which carried thousands of workers and officials in festive parades. The highway level was subsequently opened on 29 December 1968, completing the double-decker bridge and enabling vehicular traffic after additional vehicle load tests.[7] Public reception was overwhelmingly positive, with widespread media coverage in state newspapers and propaganda posters portraying the bridge as a symbol of socialist victory, sparking nationwide celebrations and visits by citizens to witness the engineering feat.[2] These events highlighted the bridge's immediate role in unifying rail and road transport across the Yangtze, though minor adjustments to signaling and expansion joints were made in the following months to optimize operations.[17]Design and Engineering
Structural Features
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge features a pioneering double-deck truss design that integrates both highway and railway traffic on a single structure, marking a significant achievement in mid-20th-century Chinese engineering. The upper deck accommodates a four-lane highway, with two lanes in each direction flanked by sidewalks for pedestrians, spanning a total length of approximately 4,588 meters including approaches. The lower deck houses a double-track railway configured for bidirectional train operations, extending 6,772 meters in total length. This configuration allows simultaneous road and rail use, optimizing the bridge's capacity over the wide Yangtze River while minimizing the footprint in a constrained urban setting.[17][15] The main structure consists of a steel through-truss system with 10 spans, including nine 160-meter spans and one 128-meter span that form the central river-crossing section, supported by nine piers embedded in the riverbed. These piers, constructed using innovative techniques such as heavy drilled caissons and steel tubular columns extending up to 70 meters below the water surface, provide robust anchorage against the river's dynamic forces. The truss girders are arranged in continuous modules, enhancing structural efficiency and load distribution across the decks. Approach structures include viaducts and ramps on both banks, with a 3,012-meter highway viaduct facilitating seamless connections to Nanjing's urban road network and railway lines.[18][17] Aesthetically, the bridge emphasizes a simple, functional form that reflects utilitarian engineering principles, complemented by decorative elements such as ornate railings and 22 ethnically inspired arch openings at the grounding sections on both ends, drawing from traditional Chinese motifs to blend modernity with cultural heritage. Nighttime lighting along the trusses and decks enhances visibility and adds to the bridge's iconic silhouette against the river landscape.[17] Engineering adaptations for environmental challenges include deep, flexible pier foundations designed to accommodate seismic activity in the Nanjing region and resist flooding from the Yangtze's seasonal surges. The caisson foundations allow controlled deformation under lateral loads, while the elevated clearance and streamlined truss profile minimize hydrodynamic impacts during high water events, ensuring long-term stability without compromising the dual-deck functionality.[17]Technical Specifications
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge spans the Yangtze River in Nanjing, Jiangsu Province, China, at approximately 32°06′55″N 118°44′20″E, linking Pukou District on the northern bank to Xiaguan in Gulou District on the southern bank.[19][20] The main bridge measures 1,577 meters in length, while the total highway bridge extends 4,588 meters and the railway bridge 6,772 meters.[17] The structure rises 70 meters above the water, offering a navigational clearance of 24 meters beneath the deck to accommodate large vessels.[21][22][17] The main bridge consists of 10 spans supported by 9 piers in the water, with the longest span reaching 160 meters and other spans including a 128-meter section.[18][23] The highway deck spans 19.5 meters in width, incorporating 4.5-meter pedestrian paths on each side, while the railway deck measures 14 meters wide.[17] Construction employed high-strength steel for the truss girders, totaling 66,500 tons, alongside concrete for the piers and foundations.[7] The design supports dual railway tracks for two opposing trains and a four-lane highway capable of handling four parallel heavy trucks.[17]| Attribute | Specification |
|---|---|
| Main Bridge Length | 1,577 m |
| Total Highway Length | 4,588 m |
| Total Railway Length | 6,772 m |
| Height Above Water | 70 m |
| Navigational Clearance | 24 m |
| Longest Span | 160 m |
| Number of Piers in Water | 9 |
| Highway Width (incl. Pedestrian Paths) | 19.5 m |
| Railway Width | 14 m |
| Steel Used | 66,500 tons |