On May 31, 2022, the control project of the newly built South Sichuan Intercity Railway Zigong-Yibin Line, the Yibin Lingang Highway and Railway Dual-purpose Yangtze River Bridge, was successfully closed. The bridge is the world's first cable-stayed bridge for highway and high-speed railway. After completion, it will become the world's largest span and widest steel box girder cable-stayed bridge for both road and rail.

The Yibin Lingang Highway-Railway Dual-use Yangtze River Bridge was built by Shudao Group and jointly constructed by China Railway Bridge Bureau and Sichuan Road and Bridge. The bridge is located in the east of Yibin City, connecting Sanjiang New District and Xuzhou District. It is a common river crossing channel for the newly-built South Sichuan Intercity Railway, Chongqing-Kunming High-speed Railway and Rong-Kunming High-speed Railway. It is a key control project for the entire line. The total length is 1742.1 meters, the bridge deck width is 63.9 meters, and the main span is 522 meters. In the middle of the bridge is the 300 km/h high-speed railway of Rongkun and Yukun 4 lines, two-way 6-lane urban expressways on both sides, and non-motorized vehicle lanes and sidewalks on the outermost side.

A total of 99 steel box girder segments need to be installed for the bridge, with a total weight of 46,000 tons, a standard segment of 12 meters, and a single segment with a maximum hoisting weight of 550 tons. The middle span of the south bank of the bridge is constructed by single cantilever hoisting, the side span is constructed by the jacking method, and the north bank is constructed by symmetrical suspension construction.

According to the person in charge of the China Railway Bridge Bureau project, "the area where the project is located has many days of precipitation and heavy rainfall, with an average annual precipitation of 1,100 mm. The water level near the bridge is high and the water flow is rapid. The maximum flow rate during the flood period exceeds 5 m/s. The core area of fish nature protection has high requirements for waterway maintenance, environmental protection and water protection." At present, the bridge has entered the bridge deck system and auxiliary construction, and the project is expected to be completed and opened to traffic in 2023.

Yibin Lingang Yangtze River Bridge shoulders the functions of national railway, intercity railway and urban expressway crossing the river. After the completion of the bridge, it will promote the interconnection between Sichuan and Chongqing, further promote the integration of southern Sichuan urban agglomeration into the construction of the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle, and effectively relieve the traffic pressure on the north and south sides of the Yangtze River in Yibin City.Editor/Ma Xue