Xinzhai Bridge
Xinzhai Bridge
新寨大桥
Fa’er Bouyei, Guizhou, China
417 feet high / 127 meters high
394 foot span / 120 meter span
2013
Xinzhai is the smallest of 4 giant beam bridges that traverse over or along the deep Beipanjinag River valley on the the Shuipan 水盘高速公路 expressway that connects the city of Liupanshui and the G56 with the G60 expressway in Shuicheng and Panxian Counties. The bridge has a span configuration of 70+120+70+40 meters.
Just two kilometers north of Xinzhai is the giant Laoyingyan Bridge with two spans of 160 meters. Then 2 kilometers further north is the Wanglongbao Bridge with a 160 meter beam span that soars 208 meters above a deep canyon abyss. Finally 6 kilometers north is the massive Beipanjiang Bridge Shuipan expressway with the longest beam span ever attempted on a high level bridge with a distance of 290 meters between piers. Between all these expressway bridges is the famous Beipanjiang Railway Bridge Shuibai with a height of 275 meters and the Wanlong arch bridge. This is one of only 2 places in the world where there are 6 bridges in such close proximity that are over 100 meters high. The 4 big beam bridges are located at kilometers 31, 33, 35 and 37.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Xinzhai Bridge beam cross section. At 10.5 meters, the Xinzhai beam spans are narrower then the major expressways that have wider safety lanes.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A view looking nearly 130 meters straight down to the foundations of the bridge worker housing. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Laoyingyan Bridge can be seen 2 kilometers to the north. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The Laoyingyan Bridge overlooking the Beipan River gorge. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Upstream view of the Xinzhai canyon. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
The third and final turn of the upper spiral along the Baiguo Railway can be seen crossing the Xinzhai canyon at the top of the image. Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Xinzhai Bridge drawing.
Xinzhai Bridge satellite image.
A wider view showing the giant tunnel spirals of the Shuibai Railway that were necessary to reduce the steepness of the railway grade that descends hundreds of meters down into the Beipanjiang River gorge.
Xinzhai Bridge location map.