The Shituo Yangtze River Bridge, a key project on the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway, is under construction in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Photo: Provided by Chongqing Municipality

The road section of the Shituo Yangtze River Bridge, a key project on the Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway, closed its main span on Saturday in Southwest China's Chongqing Municipality. Once completed, the bridge is expected to set four world records, according to media reports.

It will become the world's first combined road-and-rail bridge with, and the first to adopt a same-level separated-deck design for both highway and railway traffic. The bridge's No. 6 main pylon stands 253 meters tall, making it the world's tallest dual-linked pylon, while the 608-meter main span is the longest ever achieved by a hybrid-girder cable-stayed bridge carrying both road and rail on the same level.

According to Chongqing's municipal government, the Shituo bridge measures 1,416.9 meters in length, with the main bridge stretching 1,056 meters. Two diamond-shaped pylons stand over the Yangtze River. The bridge deck sits about 110 meters above the water, roughly the height of a 30-story building.

After opening, the bridge will serve dual purposes: One deck will carry high-speed trains running at up to 350 kilometers per hour, while the other will handle six lanes of highway traffic.

The 254-kilometer-long Chongqing-Wanzhou high-speed railway, of which this bridge is a critical section, connects Chongqing East Station with Wanzhou North Station in Chongqing. It is part of China's national "eight vertical and eight horizontal" high-speed rail network and will strengthen links along the Yangtze River Economic Belt. 

Most tunnels, roadbeds and bridges on the line have already been completed. Track-laying and station works are now under way, with the full line scheduled to open in 2027.

Once in operation, the railway will significantly cut travel time between Chongqing's central urban area and the towns of the Three Gorges Reservoir region. The project is expected to boost economic development along the route and further support the Chengdu-Chongqing twin-city economic circle, CCTV News reported.

Global Times