Caitun Bridge

Caitun Bridge

Caitun Bridge

The longest bridge in Benxi urban area is Caitun Bridge. Originally named Huayang Bridge, it is located downstream in the urban section of the Taizi River. It serves as the main passage connecting the Pingshan and Caitun districts, and is also the primary bridge on the Shenyang–Dandong Highway that spans the Taizi River. The bridge was first built in 1940 as a nine-span reinforced concrete structure, with a total length of 224 meters and a width of 6 meters. The eastern side of the bridge is connected to a wooden bridge. In May 1946, when the Northeast Democratic Allied Forces withdrew from Benxi urban area, three of the nine spans were destroyed for strategic reasons. In the autumn of the same year, the wooden bridge was also washed away by floods. After the founding of the People’s Republic of China, restoration and expansion of Caitun Bridge began in 1951 and were completed in 1952. The restored bridge extended the original nine spans and 224 meters by an additional nine spans totaling 220 meters, maintaining the same structural form as the original. In June 1959, the municipal government drafted a plan to widen the bridge and had already laid the foundation, but construction was halted due to temporary national economic difficulties.

The widening project resumed in 1969 and was completed in 1971

in December. The widened Caitun Bridge has a total length of 444 meters and a deck width of 15 meters (including a 12-meter roadway), with a total of 18 spans. Its load-bearing standard is rated for vehicles weighing up to 18 tons. This project was designed by the Benxi Municipal Public Works Office and constructed by the Fourth Highway Construction Division of the Municipal Transport Bureau.