Milestone reached for world's longest-span bridge under construction in China

(ECNS) -- The main structure of the south anchorage for the south channel bridge of the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge – the world's longest-span bridge under construction – was completed on Tuesday in east China's Jiangsu Province, marking a significant step forward in the mega-project.

The bridge will connect the three cities of Zhangjiagang in Suzhou, Jingjiang in Taizhou and Rugao in Nantong in Jiangsu, and it is expected to be completed and open to traffic by 2028.

With a river-spanning length of 7,900 meters, the bridge will contain approach bridges and navigation sections for the north and south, with two-way eight traffic lanes and a designed speed of up to 100 kilometers per hour. The south navigation bridge, with a span of 2,300 meters, will be the world's largest span suspension bridge, marking a milestone in Chinese bridge construction history with a 2,000-meter-long span barrier. Its two towers, each 350 meters tall, use about 34,000 metric tons of steel – equivalent to the amount used in more than four Eiffel Towers.

Upon completion, the Zhangjinggao Yangtze River Bridge will play a key role in accelerating the integration of the Yangtze River Delta. Jiangsu Province aims to have 28 river crossings by 2030 to improve regional transportation.