Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (simplified Chinese: 南京长江大桥; traditional Chinese: 南京長江大橋; pinyin: Nánjīng Chángjiāng Dàqiáo) is a double-decked road-rail truss bridge across the Yangtze River in Nanjing, Jiangsu, connecting the city's Pukou and Gulou districts. Its upper deck is part of China National Highway 104, spanning 4,588 metres (15,052 ft). Its lower deck, with a double-track railway, is 6,772 metres (22,218 ft) long, and completes the Beijing–Shanghai railway, which had been divided by the Yangtze for decades. Its right bridge consists of nine piers, with the maximum span of 160 metres (525 ft) and the total length of 1,576 metres (5,171 ft). The bridge carries approximately 80,000 vehicles and 190 trains per day.

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge 南京长江大桥
Coordinates	32.1152°N 118.7388°E / 32.1152; 118.7388
Carries	Beijing–Shanghai railway Nanjing–Xi'an railway Nanjing–Qidong railway National Highway 205 National Highway 312
Crosses	Yangtze River
Locale	Nanjing, Jiangsu China
Owner	People's Government of Nanjing Shanghai Railway Bureau
Characteristics
Design	Double-decked truss bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	Main Bridge: 1,576 metres (5,171 ft) Highway: 4,588 metres (15,052 ft) Railway: 6,772 metres (22,218 ft)
Width	Highway Bridge: 19.5 metres (64 ft) (with 4.5 metres (15 ft) pedestrian path) Railway: 14 metres (46 ft)
Height	70 metres (230 ft)
Longest span	160 metres (525 ft)
No. of spans	10
Piers in water	9
Clearance below	24 metres (79 ft)
History
Designer	Ministry of Railways
Construction start	18 January 1960
Construction end	Railway: 30 September 1968 Highway: 29 December 1968
Replaces	Yangtze River Railway Ferry
Statistics
Daily traffic	80,000 vehicles 200 pairs of trains ^(2011)
Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Location in Nanjing Show map of Nanjing Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (Jiangsu) Show map of Jiangsu

The bridge was completed and open for traffic in 1968. It was the third bridge over the Yangtze after the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Chongqing Baishatuo Yangtze River Bridge. It was the first heavy bridge designed and built using Chinese expertise.

Suicide site

See also: List of suicide sites

According to state media, the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge surpassed the Golden Gate Bridge as the most frequent suicide site in the world, with more than 2,000 suicides estimated by 2006.[1]

Gallery

• 
  Vehicles on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
• 
  Statue of first Yangtze river bridge at Nanjing
• 
  Scenery on the Yangtze river
• 
  Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge seen from the upstream right bank
• 
  Perspective of the double-column frame piers of the railway bridge approach structure
• 
  The Nanjing Yangtze Bridge in 2014

See also

• Dashengguan Yangtze River Bridge Nanjing's other railway bridge that carries the Beijing–Shanghai High-Speed Railway.
• Yangtze River bridges and tunnels
• Beijing–Shanghai Railway
• Rail transport in China
• Passenger rail transport in China

References

Notes

1. Sun Xiaoyu (September 28, 2006). 2000自杀者为何选择南京长江大桥？ [Why have 2,000 people killed themselves at the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge?]. People's Daily (in Chinese). Archived from the original on February 19, 2015. Retrieved January 12, 2015.

Bibliography

• Gao Mobo (2008). The Battle for China's Past: Mao and the Cultural Revolution. Pluto Press: Verso. ISBN 978-0-7453-2780-8.

External links

• 纪录片《南京长江大桥》 Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Documentary (Chinese language) (1969)
• How to get to the Yangtze River Bridge
• Yangtze River Bridge: The Historic Landmark of Modern Nanjing