The Qujiang Grand Bridge-set to be the world's longest-span low-tower cable-stayed bridge for high-speed rail-achieved closure on November 26. Built by CRCC, the milestone marks major progress toward the full completion of the Chengdu-Dazhou-Wanzhou High-Speed Railway(Chengdawan HSR).
Situated in Quxian County, Sichuan Province, the bridge serves as the pivotal "throat section" of the railway and anchors one of its most technically demanding clusters of works, known as the "three tunnels and four bridges." Stretching 1,983.81 meters, the structure features a 556.7-meter main span constructed through 36 cantilever-cast segments. The deck measures 14.6 meters wide, while the 50-meter-high towers support 40 stay cables.
As the world's largest-span prestressed concrete low-tower cable-stayed bridge designed for double-track high-speed trains, the project required millimeter-level precision. Complicated geological conditions-fractured rock strata and widespread karst caves-added to the engineering difficulty. Throughout the build, the team overcame multiple technical challenges, including sediment control for deep pile foundations, hydraulic climbing-form construction of thin-walled piers, variable-section tower construction, and structural deformation caused by temperature fluctuations.
Once operational, the Chengdawan HSR will form a key link along the Yangtze River corridor in China's "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" network. It will provide a faster route from Chengdu to the Central Plains and the Beijing-Tianjin-Hebei region, giving strong momentum to the Chengdu-Chongqing economic circle and the broader Yangtze River Economic Belt.