Zhijiang Yangtze River Bridge achieves full closure

By Zhao Entao

The Zhijiang Yangtze River Bridge achieved full closure on May 15 as the final steel box girder was hoisted into place, marking a major milestone for the landmark infrastructure project.
 

The final steel box girder is hoisted into place. Photo by Fu Beibei

The bridge, a key project on the Dangyang-Zhijiang-Songzi Expressway, spans 1,549 meters and is currently the world’s longest steel-UHPC composite girder cable-stayed bridge. Once completed, it will connect major national highways, strengthening transport links across the Yichang-Jingzhou-Jingmen metropolitan area and the Yangtze River Economic Belt.

The final steel box girder is hoisted into place. Photo by Fu Beibei

The bridge will end the long-standing isolation of Bailizhou, the largest river island in the middle reaches of the Yangtze. For generations, its nearly 100,000 residents have relied on ferries, a bottleneck that has constrained the shipment of more than 500,000 tonnes of local agricultural products, including sand pears and cotton, each year. With the new crossing, travel times will be significantly reduced, and transport costs for sand pears are expected to fall by 40 percent, saving roughly 200 yuan per mu while also reducing losses from repeated handling.

The final steel box girder is hoisted into place. Photo by Fu Beibei

On the day of the closure, the Yangtze River Yichang Waterway Bureau implemented a temporary navigation ban during the girder installation. Maritime authorities coordinated on-site patrols, electronic monitoring, and remote dispatching to ensure construction safety and smooth river traffic.

Zhijiang Yangtze River Bridge. Photo by Fu Beibei

Construction will now move into the detailed deck phase, including pavement laying and guardrail installation. The bridge is expected to open to traffic in the second half of the year.

Stretching about 75 kilometers, the Dangyang-Zhijiang-Songzi Expressway is set to create a one-hour travel circle across the region. The bridge will fundamentally improve mobility for Bailizhou residents and inject new momentum into the high-quality development of the Yangtze River Economic Belt.