World's largest cable-stayed bridge inaugurated in China

New Delhi, July 1 : Suzhou-Nantong Yangtze Road Bridge, the world's largest cable-stayed bridge, was formally opened in East China's Jiangsu Province after five years of construction.

The bridge linking the two prosperous cities of Nantong and Suzhou, runs 32.4 kilometres, with 8,146 meters spanning the Yangtze, China's longest waterway. It has three lanes each way.

The bridge, 108 kilometres upstream from the Yangtze's mouth, joins the national highway network on the both banks, Xinhua reported.

The bridge has undergone a month-long trial, which saw a daily flow of 20,000 to 30,000 vehicles, before formal opening ceremony on Monday.

Built at a cost of 1.15 billion dollars, it is the most complicated bridge project in China's history, setting several technical records.

It has the world's longest span of 1,088 meters, usurping the previous record holder, the Tatara Bridge in Japan, which has a main span of 890 meters.

"The main navigational opening is 62 meters in height and 891 meters wide, which allows the passage of huge vessels with a cargo capacity up to 50,000 tonnes," said Wu Shouchang, chief engineer of the construction headquarters.

It also used the longest bridge cable of 577 meters, 100 meters longer than Tatara's record.

ANI