The Liuwu Bridge (Chinese: 柳吾大橋; pinyin: Liǔ wú dàqiáo} crosses the Lhasa River linking downtown Lhasa, Tibet to Lhasa railway station and Niu New Area on the south bank. It was built in conjunction with the Qinghai–Tibet Railway, which terminates on the south side of the river, and provides a connection to the town center on the north side.
Liuwu Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 29°38′31″N 91°04′58″E / 29.641994°N 91.082785°E |
| Crosses | Lhasa River |
| Characteristics | |
| Total length | 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) |
| Width | 29 metres (95 ft) |
| Longest span | 120 metres (390 ft) |
| History | |
| Constructed by | China Communications Construction |
| Construction start | 2004 |
| Construction end | April 2007 |
| Opened | 1 May 2007 |
| Location | |
 | |
Location edit
The Liuwu Bridge links central Lhasa to Lhasa Railway Station and the newly developed Niu New Area of Doilungdêqên County on the south bank of the Lhasa River. Residents in the Ne'u area were resettled to make way for the new development.[1] The 42 square kilometres (16 sq mi) "Liuwu New District" includes new residential buildings in traditional Tibetan style. The villagers, numbering almost 1,700, were moved into these buildings. The effect of the railway, bridge and Liuwu New District development has been urbanization and development of new enterprises such as transport, retail outlets and restaurants.[2]
Construction edit
The Liuwu Bridge was built by China Communications Construction.[3] The construction project began in 2004.[4] About 500 people worked on the bridge, but according to an Agence France-Presse correspondent even the laborers engaging in sweeping and pushing wheelbarrows were almost all Chinese, since the chief engineer said Tibetans "do not have the technical training needed for the task."[5] The bridge was completed in April 2007.[6][7] It was opened to traffic on 1 May 2007.[8] Total funding allocated to the project was RMB 388.51 million.[4]
Structure edit
The bridge is one of the notable structures of the 1,142 kilometres (710 mi) Qinghai–Tibet Railway, the highest railway in the world.[9] It is the first urban overpass in the Tibet Autonomous Region.[3] The total length is 1,600 metres (5,200 ft) and the elevated section is 1,373 metres (4,505 ft).[4] The main span has a duplex basket-handle arch with a heeling angle of 28.4 degrees and an arch length of 120 metres (390 ft). The piers of the main bridge use piled underground diaphragm walls.[3] The bridge is 29 metres (95 ft) wide, with three lanes in each direction.[4] The structure includes the first cloverleaf junction in Tibet.[10]
References edit
- ^ Resettlement and railroad construction in Lhasa.
- ^ Zhang 2011.
- ^ a b c Lhasa Liuwu Bridge, China Communications.
- ^ a b c d Project Of Lhasa Liuwu Bridge Construction In Tibet.
- ^ Bishop 2008, p. 91.
- ^ Liuwu Bridge is under construction CD 2007.
- ^ Construction of Liuwu Bridge in Lhasa, 2006-05-12.
- ^ Self-riding Tour in Lhasa City.
- ^ Bishop 2008, p. 64–65.
- ^ Yang 2009.
Sources edit
- Bishop, Peter (2008-07-25). Bridge. Reaktion Books. ISBN 978-1-86189-469-4. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
- "Construction of Liuwu Bridge in Lhasa". People's Daily. 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- "Lhasa Liuwu Bridge". China Communications construction company. 2008-05-23. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- "Liuwu Bridge is under construction". China Daily. 2007-02-27. Retrieved 2015-02-05.
- "Project Of Lhasa Liuwu Bridge Construction In Tibet". Chinabidding. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- "Resettlement and railroad construction in Lhasa: new images". International Campaign for Tibet. 2005-04-15. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- "Self-riding Tour in Lhasa City". Tibet Tour. 2014-07-02. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- Yang, Lina (2009-03-31). "Road network extends to all corners in Tibet". Xinhua. Archived from the original on April 14, 2009. Retrieved 2015-02-14.
- Zhang, Ru (2011-07-01). "Qinghai-Tibet Railway Changes Tibetan Village". China Radio International. Archived from the original on December 25, 2011. Retrieved 2015-02-14.