Aizhai Bridge
Bridge in Jishou
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Aizhai Bridge (Chinese: 矮寨大桥) is a suspension bridge on the G65 Baotou–Maoming Expressway near Jishou, Hunan, China. The bridge was built as part of an expressway from southwest China's Chongqing Municipality to Changsha.[4]
Aizhai Bridge 矮寨大桥 | |
|---|---|
| |
| Coordinates | 28.331°N 109.5974°E |
| Carries | 4 lanes of  G65 Baotou–Maoming Expressway |
| Crosses | Dehang Grand Canyon (德夯大峡谷) |
| Locale | Jishou |
| Characteristics | |
| Design | Suspension bridge |
| Total length | 1,534 m (5,033 ft)[1] |
| Width | 24.5 m (80 ft)[2] |
| Longest span | 1,176 m (3,858 ft)[1] |
| Clearance below | 336 m (1,102 ft)[3] |
| History | |
| Construction start | October 2007 |
| Construction end | December 2011 |
| Opened | 31 March 2012 |
| Location | |
 Interactive map of Aizhai Bridge | |
The bridge is famous for the view it offers those crossing it.[5]
With a main span of 1,176 metres (3,858 ft) and a deck height of 336 metres (1,102 ft),[6] as of 2013[update], it is the thirteenth-highest bridge in the world and the world's nineteenth-longest suspension bridge. Of the world's 400 or so highest bridges, none has a main span as long as Aizhai.[3] It is also the world's highest and longest tunnel-to-tunnel bridge.[7] The bridge contains 1888 lights to increase visibility at night.[8]
Construction on the Aizhai Bridge began in October 2007 and was completed by the end of 2011, ahead of schedule.[9][10] The bridge was temporarily opened to pedestrians during the 2012 Spring Festival[10] and was formally opened to traffic in March 2012.[11]
The bridge was built with the assistance of a $208 million loan from the Asian Development Bank; the total project cost was $610 million, which included 64 kilometres (40 mi) of expressway construction (two thirds of which comprised bridge and tunnel) and upgrades to 129 kilometres (80 mi) of local roads.[12] The bridge and the associated road construction were projected to reduce the travel time between Jishou and Chadong from 4 hours to less than 1 hour.[12][13]
In September 2012, the Aizhai Bridge was the site of an international BASE jumping festival that included more than 40 jumpers from 13 countries.[14][15][16]
