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November 15, 2018

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Pair of bridges span 35 years

After more than 35 years of service, Maogang Bridge no longer meets the needs of traffic on land and water. Despite the sentiment that the city holds for the bridge, it will be demolished when a new one alongside is ready.

Completed in 1982, the old bridge crosses the Pingshen Channel, a tributary of the Huangpu River, was the first cable-stayed bridge in Shanghai and the largest of its kind in China at the time. Its main span stretches 200 meters.

The new bridge will have a main 225-meter span and be much wider, with three lanes of traffic in each direction, bicycle lanes and pedestrians footpaths. It will be a similar shape to the old one and more resistant to earthquakes.

One of the main problems with the old bridge is that it is only four meters above the water so larger vessels cannot pass. Pingshen Channel has become an important transport corridor between Shanghai and Zhejiang Province as the integration of Yangtze River Delta deepens. The deck of the new bridge will be 7 meters above the water which will allow most cargo vessels to pass.

A floating platform prevents construction waste from falling into the water.

Another challenge the builders face is that the new bridge very close to the old one and part of the new bridge partially overlaps an old one.

“We altered the plan a bit,” said chief designer Peng Wei. “We will finish the main bridge first, then demolish the old bridge and finish the overlapping part.”

The old bridge is still operational. The main part of new Maogang Bridge is scheduled to complete next year while the old bridge is to be torn down in 2020.

All work will be complete in 2021.




 

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