Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge

The Yangtze River Bridge, which was constructed between 1960 and 1968, is the third bridge built to span the Yangtze River after the Wuhan Yangtze River Bridge and the Baishatuo Yangtze River Bridge (in Chongqing City). As the longest bridge with the dual functions of highway and railway listed in the Guinness Book of World Records, it is the first bridge in China solely designed and constructed by Chinese.
The significant double-deck construction is made up of the main bridge portion which spans 1,577 meters (about 1,725 yards) and the bridge approach which measures 3,012 meters (about 3,294 yards). The upper deck of the bridge is a highway with a span of 4,589 meters (about 5,019 yards). There are sidewalks on either side of the highway and each measures over two meters (about two yards) in width. The lower deck holds a twin-track railway with a length of 6,772 meters (about 7,406 yards) and a width of 14 meters (about 15 yards) that allows two trains to run in different directions.

The bridge has nine piers altogether, among which the tallest one is 85 meters (about 279 feet) with the base area of about 400 square meters (478 square yards), larger than a basketball court. There are 200 cast iron reliefs inlayed on the banisters on the two sides of the highway as well as 150 pairs of street lamps along the sidewalks on the main section of the bridge. Two bridge towers are located respectively at each end of the bridge each with a height of 70 meters (about 230 feet). They contain elevators which enable personal access to decks of the bridge as well as the watchtowers. Under the southern tower there is a beautiful park.

The bridge at night is extremely charming. The illumination of 1,024 floodlights on the banisters, 540 halogen lights on the towers and 150 pairs of lamps of the sidewalks make the bridge look like a pearl string lying on the Yangtze River.

The completion of the bridge has reduced the river crossing time from about two hours by ferry to the course of only several minutes, which is much more convenient for communication between the two banks of the Yangtze River.