Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge

The Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge is a bridge–tunnel complex across the south fork of the Yangtze River near the river mouth in Shanghai. The tunnel connects the Pudong District of Shanghai on the south bank of the river with Changxing Island, while the bridge connects Changxing Island with Chongming Island. In combination with the Chongqi Bridge (opened in December 2011), which connects Chongming Island to the north bank of the Yangtze, the bridge–tunnel complex forms the final crossing of the Yangtze before it empties into the East China Sea.

Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge
Viaduct of the Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge
Simplified Chinese上海长江隧桥
Traditional Chinese上海長江隧橋
Transcriptions
Standard Mandarin
Hanyu PinyinShànghǎi Chángjiāng Suì Qiáo
Wade–GilesShang4-hai3 Chʻang2-chiang1 Sui4 Chʻiao2
IPA[ʂâŋ.xàɪ.ʈʂʰǎŋ.tɕjáŋ.swêɪ.tɕʰjǎʊ]

The bridge and tunnel were built from 2005 to 2009 at a cost of 12.6 billion yuan (US$1.84 billion),[1] and opened on 31 October 2009.[1][2] Their combined length is 25.5 km (15.8 mi), forming part of the G40 Shanghai–Xi'an Expressway.

Tunnel

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Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel
 
Entrance to the tunnel
Overview
LocationShanghai
Coordinates31°20′26″N 121°41′38″E / 31.340589°N 121.693813°E / 31.340589; 121.693813
StartWuhaogou, Pudong
EndChangxing Island
Operation
Constructed2005 - 2009
Opened31 October 2009 (2009-10-31)
OperatorShanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge Construction and Development
Technical
Length8.9 kilometres (5.5 mi)
No. of lanes2 x 3

The Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel starts on the south bank of the Yangtze at Wuhaogou, Pudong and ends in the south of Changxing Island. It is 8.9 kilometres (5.5 mi) in length,[1] and has two stacked levels. The upper level is for a motorway, and has three lanes in each direction, with a designed speed of 80 kilometres per hour (50 mph). The lower level is reserved for a future Shanghai Metro line, Chongming Line.

The tunnelling was completed using four tunnel boring machines, the largest of which was 15.43 metres (50.6 ft) in diameter,[3] 135 metres (443 ft) long,[citation needed] and weighed 2,300t.[citation needed]

Bridge

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Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge
上海长江大桥
 
Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge
Coordinates31°26′05″N 121°44′40″E / 31.43481°N 121.74431°E / 31.43481; 121.74431
CrossesYangtze River between Changxing and Chongming islands
LocaleShanghai
China
Maintained byShanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge Construction and Development
Characteristics
DesignCable-stayed bridge with viaducts
Total length16,500 m (54,134 ft)
(including approaches)
Width35.3 m (116 ft)
Height209 m (686 ft)
Longest span730 m (2,395 ft)
No. of spans1 cable-stayed span
2 viaducts
History
Construction end23 Oct 2009
Opened31 Oct 2009
Location
 

The Shanghai Yangtze River Bridge starts at the tunnel exit, crosses Changxing Island at ground level, then crosses to Chongming Island, ending at Chenjia Town.

It consists of two long viaducts with a higher cable-stayed section in the middle to allow the passage of ships. The total length is 16.63 kilometres (10.33 mi), of which 6.66 kilometres (4.14 mi) is road and 9.97 kilometres (6.20 mi) bridge. The overall shape of the bridge is not linear but slightly sigmoid (S-shaped).

The central cable-stayed span is about 730 metres (2,395 ft), the longest span of any bridge in Shanghai, and the tenth longest cable-stayed span in the world.[citation needed] The span arrangement is 92+258+730+258+72 m.[4]

The bridge has three road lanes in each direction, with a designed speed of 100 kilometres per hour (62 mph). Room on both flanks of the bridge is reserved for a future metro line, line 19, so total deck width is 35.3 m (115.8 ft).[4]

 
The bridge under construction, 2008

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b c Bridge-tunnel linking Chongming Island opens to traffic, Shanghai Daily, 2009-10-31, retrieved 3 November 2009
  2. ^ "世界最大隧桥上海长江大桥31日通车(组图) (The largest bridge–tunnel project in the world, the Shanghai Yangtze River Tunnel and Bridge opens on 31st (multiple pictures))" (in Chinese). Tencent QQ.com News. 31 October 2009. Retrieved 1 January 2010.
  3. ^ "XXL tunnel boring machines in the Yangtze River Delta - Herrenknecht AG". Archived from the original on 14 July 2014.
  4. ^ a b Q.E. Deng, C.Y. Shao: Recent Major Cable-Stayed Bridges in Shanghai[permanent dead link]
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