Wangyu River Cable-Stayed Bridge of Nantong-Ningbo High-Speed Railway Closed

According to information released by China Railway Group Limited on October 14, 2026, the Wangyu River Cable-Stayed Bridge, a key control project of the newly built Nantong-Ningbo High-Speed Railway (referred to as the Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High-Speed Railway), was closed at the construction site in Changfu Subdistrict, Changshu City on October 11. It marks the first twin-pylon cable-stayed bridge with a main span of over 300 meters to achieve closure along the entire line.

Constructed by China Railway No.5 Engineering Group under China Railway Group Limited, the Wangyu River Cable-Stayed Bridge stretches 679.6 meters in total length. Adopting a twin-pylon, double-cable-plane steel-concrete composite girder cable-stayed structure, the bridge has a main span of 348 meters. The two main pylons stand at 124.1 meters and 118.2 meters respectively.

During construction, the project team addressed multiple difficulties including high standards for shipping and overwater operations on the Wangyu River, stringent precision control requirements and prominent safety risks. In the pile foundation construction phase, to tackle hole collapse risks caused by complex geological conditions, the constructor deployed reverse circulation drilling rigs together with bentonite slurry wall protection and air-lift reverse circulation hole cleaning technology. 

All pile foundations of the bridge were rated Class I high-quality pile foundations. For main pylon construction, an intelligent temperature control curing system and a new-generation integrated intelligent hydraulic climbing formwork system were introduced to build an all-in-one aerial construction platform with strong typhoon resistance and comprehensive safety protection. The main girder erection adopted the cantilever assembly method towards the mid-span using deck cranes to form a standardized cyclic operation workflow. 

To resolve alignment variations triggered by wind loads, temperature differences and construction loads, the project team carried out multiple rounds of simulation analysis with BIM technology. Construction parameters were dynamically adjusted based on real-time monitoring data from high-precision intelligent measuring systems and total stations to precisely control smooth main girder alignment and uniform cable force. 

During closure construction, continuous 72-hour monitoring was conducted to track temperature and deformation patterns at the closure gap, identify the optimal closure temperature and theoretical length, and realize one-time successful closure.

The Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High-Speed Railway serves as an important component of the coastal corridor within China’s national high-speed railway network of "Eight Vertical and Eight Horizontal" corridors. Upon completion, the railway will connect multiple rail lines and improve the regional railway network layout.