Wanxian Yangtze Bridge, China

The Wanxian Yangtze Bridge is a major highway bridge near the city of Wanxian in Sichuan Province in southwestern China. The 856 m long bridge has a span arrangement of 5 x 30.7 m on the south approach, a 429 m main span and 8 x 30.7 m spans on the north approach. The deck is 24 m wide, accommodating dual 7.5 m wide lanes for vehicle traffic and dual 3.0 m lanes for pedestrians. This design, with its large RC (reinforced concrete) main span arch, was chosen to avoid the need for underwater foundations and extremely tall piers.