New bridge over Yangtze promises integration
The Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze River Bridge, the world's first bridge with a span of more than 1,000 meters that can accommodate both cars and trains, begins operations in Nantong, Jiangsu province, on July 1, 2020. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]
Each of the bridge's 432 cables can lift up to 1,000 tons, roughly the weight of more than 600 cars. A total of 480,000 tons of steel were used for the bridge.
As the second dual-use bridge in Jiangsu, following the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, the newly opened structure will greatly ease traffic congestion that currently occurs on two neighboring Yangtze River bridges in Nantong and Wuxi. Travel time between Nantong and Wuxi will be cut in half to 40 minutes.
With a designed speed of 200 kilometers per hour, the new bridge will also cut travel time between Nantong and China's economic hub, Shanghai, from 3.5 hours to just 1 hour and 6 minutes.
From Nantong, the railway enters Shanghai through Zhangjiagang, Changshu and Taicang in Jiangsu's Suzhou city.
