Songhua River Highway Bridge

Songhua River Highway Bridge

The Songhua River Highway Bridge commenced construction in May 1983 and was completed on August 30, 1986. With its massive scale and innovative structure, the bridge features a scissor-like design and stretches 1,565 meters in length. At the time, it was the longest highway bridge in China and also the first large-scale permanent highway bridge built on the Songhua River in Heilongjiang Province over the fifty years following the liberation.

At 24:00 on July 21, 2011, the final section of the new Songhua River Highway Bridge in Harbin was closed, achieving full connectivity of the main bridge, the eastern approach bridge, the Hegu Street connecting bridge, and the Youyi West Road connecting bridge.

Since the concrete used for the closure needed to be maintained at a temperature between 15°C and 17°C, and considering the peak summer heat, the designers adopted a “Harbin-style” closure method based on the city’s unique climatic conditions after conducting trials.

"A bridge flies across the south and north, turning a natural barrier into a thoroughfare." The completion of the Harbin Songhua River Highway Bridge ended the historical isolation where communities north and south of the river could hear each other yet never interacted. It connects Harbin with national trunk roads leading to Heihe, Luobei, Manzhouli, and others, becoming a transportation hub for the entire province. It plays a vital strategic role in facilitating the exchange of goods and culture between urban and rural areas across the province, promoting technological advancement, developing tourism, and accelerating economic construction. The Songhua River Highway Bridge is also a renowned tourist attraction in the ice city of Harbin. Standing at the bridgehead and gazing into the distance, visitors can take in the full view of the Sun Island Scenic Area, with the mighty Songhua River surging eastward beneath their feet—a truly magnificent sight.

The Songhua River basin is located in the northern part of Northeast China, stretching 920 kilometers from east to west and 1,070 kilometers from north to south, covering a drainage area of 556,800 square kilometers. The Songhua River is the largest tributary on the right bank of the Heilongjiang River. From the Eastern Jin Dynasty to the Northern and Southern Dynasties, the upper reaches were called the Susuoshui, and the lower reaches were called the Nanshui. During the Sui and Tang dynasties, the upper reaches were referred to as the Sushuoshui, and the lower reaches as the Nasha. In the Liao Dynasty, the entire river, both upstream and downstream, was called the Huntong River or Yazi River. In the Jin Dynasty, the upper reaches were known as the Songwa River, while the lower reaches retained the name Huntong River. In the Yuan Dynasty, both the upper and lower reaches were collectively referred to as the Songwa River. It wasn’t until the Xuande era of the Ming Dynasty that the river began to be called the Songhua River. The Songhua River originates from the Tianchi Lake of Changbai Mountain, with its source tributaries coming from Baishan City and Yanbian Prefecture. It is referred to as the Songhua River starting from the border area between Baishan City and Jilin City.