Caiyuanba Yangtze River Bridge

The Caiyuanba Bridge connects two of Chongqing’s busiest business districts and serves as one of the transportation backbones for this rapidly expanding and congested city.

The double-level bridge has a main span of 420 metres and is one of the longest tied-arch transit bridges for highway and rail traffic in the world. It carries six lanes of highway and two pedestrian walkways on its upper deck, and two dedicated tracks of monorails on its lower deck for Chongqing Light Rail Line 3.

Since the Caiyuanba Bridge is located at the center of the city and a prominent part of the skyline, aesthetics took precedence in TYLin’s design considerations. After careful study of the location, a slender tied-arch bridge design was selected.

Working in conjunction with the Chongqing Communication Research & Design Institute, TYLin completed the design of this fast-track project in just nine months, enabling construction to begin at the beginning of the dry season.

Project Highlights:

• A milestone for TYLin, the project marked the first time a foreign company was awarded a complete design assignment in China.
• The rigid frame and tied arch combination structure is the first of its kind ever constructed.
• The cable-supported center segment weighs 360 tons, the heaviest such segment in the world at the time.
• The Y-shaped concrete frames provide the maximum navigation channel width and the lowest impact on water flow during flooding periods.
• An intelligent active control system allows effective management of internal construction force and safe operation.
• TYLin’s tie bars design allows for ease of maintenance and replacement.