Xinyi River Bridge

Xinyi River Bridge

The Xinyi River runs through the central part of Shuyang County, entering from Yanji, flowing through Guanyun and Guannan counties before emptying into the sea to the east. To address the issue of uncontrolled flooding in the Yi and Shu river basins, the Yi-Shu River Diversion and Regulation Project commenced in October 1949 and was completed in April 1950. Subsequently, large-scale construction of sluice gates, roads, and bridges began along the river. The Xinyi River Bridge is the earliest bridge built over the Xinyi River and was at the time the longest double-curved arch highway bridge in China.

Before the construction of the Xinyi River Bridge, only a simple gravel road on the Yi River’s bed connected Huaiyin and Xinyi. However, during flood seasons each year, the national highway Huai-Shu-Xin Road experienced seasonal interruptions in north-south traffic, forcing vehicles to take detours. The entire Xinyi River section could only be crossed by ferry. To better leverage the vital role of highways in serving the national economy and national defense, and to ensure uninterrupted traffic flow on the national highway Huai-Shu-Xin Road, the Ministry of Transport approved the investment in constructing the Xinyi River Bridge in 1967.

The Xinyi River Bridge is located northwest of Shuyang urban area, close to the county seat. It was named after spanning the Xinyi River. Construction began in May 1967 and was completed in June 1969. The bridge is 1,269.26 meters long, 8.5 meters wide in total, with a 7-meter-wide roadway and 0.75-meter-wide sidewalks on both sides. It has 39 spans, each with a 30-meter span length. The bridge stands 7 meters above water level and 10 meters below. It was designed to carry a load of 13-ton vehicles and 60-ton trailers. The lower structure consists of mortar-laid stone abutments and reinforced concrete cast-in-place piles, which are beneficial for wartime preparedness. The bridge can be quickly repaired if damaged, with every six spans grouped together and anchored piers installed—damage to one span only affects the adjacent six without impacting others. The upper structure features a double-curved arch design, with reinforced concrete arch ribs forming the skeleton of the roadway, and solid concrete arch waves installed on the ribs to serve as the bridge deck. Hollow voids are incorporated in the deck and upper pier sections. Hence, the bridge is also known as the Xinyi River Double-Curved Arch Bridge based on its structural style. The total construction cost was over 2.64 million yuan. Due to continuous economic development, the significant increase in vehicle and passenger traffic rendered the original narrow bridge deck inadequate. In 1988, the Ministry of Transport approved the expansion and widening project, leading to the construction of a parallel bridge — the Xinyi River Bridge Duplex. Located just 3 meters west of the original bridge, it is a double-column pier and abutment, pre-stressed simply supported beam bridge. It has 39 spans, a total length of 1,259.2 meters, and a load standard of 20-ton vehicles and 100-ton trailers. The bridge deck has a net width of 14 + 2×0.50 meters. The structure includes 19,080 cubic meters of concrete and reinforced concrete, and 557 cubic meters of masonry. This bridge was constructed under the responsibility of the former Huaiyin City Highway Management Office, designed by the First Highway Survey and Design Institute of the Ministry of Transport, and built by the Third Engineering Division of Jiangsu Provincial Communications Engineering and the former Huaiyin City Highway Management Office Bridge Engineering Team. The entire bridge was opened to traffic on December 30, 1991. Today, the Xinyi River Bridge Duplex has become the main bridge, equipped with lighting that makes it shine like a fire dragon at night. The original Xinyi River Bridge now serves as a non-motorized vehicle and pedestrian bridge.

The Xinyi River Bridge is not only aesthetically pleasing but also embodies national characteristics. Approximately 2,000 meters west of the Xinyi River Bridge, a railway bridge connecting the Xinchang Railway was built in 1995, and about 3,000 meters east lies another highway bridge. These three bridges, like rainbows, span the Xinyi River. Currently, the mixed traffic volume of railways, highways, and expressways is extremely high day and night. They play a huge role in connecting north-south traffic and national defense transport, and also form a beautiful scenery along the Xinyi River in Shuyang County.