The Great Changes in Hometown in the Eyes of Bridge Repairers: A Smooth Road for the People to Enjoy the Bridge | Construction | A Smooth Road for the People
The Zangke River Bridge on the Naqing Expressway under construction. Provided by Naqing Company
At the construction site of the Zangke River Bridge on the Naqing Expressway in Guizhou, there is a bridge repair worker named Shen Xiuqiao. "This is my father's expectation for the development of transportation in our local area. He hopes to one day build a bridge to facilitate the travel of villagers." Speaking of the origin of his name, he told reporters that his father's wish to repair the bridge has been realized, and the predicament he once suffered from without a bridge has become a thing of the past.
As the only province in the country without plain support, Guizhou has high mountains and deep valleys, with crisscrossing gullies. The special and complex terrain greatly hinders people's travel, and the backward transportation situation seriously restricts the rapid development of the local economy and society. "It's not that Yelang is really arrogant, it's just because he has no way to go to the Central Plains." It also expresses the helplessness and sadness of the common people.
Through the efforts of several generations, bridges have risen one after another in present-day Guizhou, connecting high mountains, crossing canyons, and crossing rivers, making the natural moat accessible. The high road in the clouds and the broad road leading out of Guizhou have made "no way to the Central Plains" a history, and Guizhou has achieved a huge transformation from "thousands of valleys" to "high-speed plains".
Cars walking on the bridge, people swimming in the painting
The ancient and mysterious Zangke River, hidden in deep boudoirs for a long time, is rarely known to people. In the midst of countless mountains and valleys, the broad Zangke River rushes through, and the strange rocks and rocks formed by erosion create unique landscapes.
Located by the Zangke River at the junction of Qinglong and Pu'an, the construction site of the Zangke River Bridge on the Naqing Expressway is bustling with machinery and a bustling scene. Standing under the bridge, Shen Xiuqiao looked up at the Zangke River Bridge under construction and sighed, "Over the past 20 years of road and bridge construction, I have been thrilled to see my hometown build bridges one by one. I am proud of the perseverance of my ancestors and also proud of fulfilling my father's expectations."
The Naqing Expressway is an important component of the Nayong Xingyi Expressway in Guizhou Province, connecting the main lines of national expressways such as Hangrui, Xiarong, and Shanghai Kunming. The project has a total length of 162.17 kilometers and a bridge tunnel ratio of 69.46%. The construction of the Naqing Expressway is of great significance for improving the national highway network and regional road network within Guizhou Province, consolidating and expanding the achievements of poverty alleviation and effectively connecting with rural revitalization, and promoting regional resource and energy development.
According to Zhao Mingfu, the person in charge of the Naqing 15 section project of Guizhou Highway Group, a subsidiary of Guizhou Communications Construction Group, the Zangke River Bridge is located within the scope of the Wumengshan National Geopark, adjacent to the Guangzhao Lake Reservoir and crossing the Zangke River. It has a total length of 1849 meters and a main span of 1080 meters. The main bridge structure is a double tower single span steel truss suspension bridge, with a maximum distance of 380 meters from the river surface. The main tower heights of the Qinglong and Nayong banks are 248.1 meters and 174.1 meters, respectively. The bridge height ranks 11th among the world's 100 high bridges.
From the sand chart, the Naqing Expressway, which connects the six major channels of Guizhou, is like a fast train speeding through the mountains, carrying the expectations of the people in the mountainous areas to become rich due to the road, and moving forward at full speed. The Zangke River Bridge spanning the Zangke River has added a beautiful scenic line to the Naqing Expressway, achieving the goal of "cars walking on the bridge, people swimming in the picture".
"As one of the control projects of the Naqing Expressway, the Zangke River Bridge has profound social significance after its completion." Zhao Mingfu told reporters that after the bridge was completed, the distance between the two sides of the river was shortened from 1 hour to 1 minute, truly achieving the transformation of a natural moat into a smooth passage, effectively driving local economic development, and further injecting new vitality into regional economic development.
The Wumengshan Bridge on the Naqing Expressway under construction. Provided by Naqing Company
In the narrow area between the Azhihe Bridge and the Wumengshan National Geopark in the majestic Wumengshan Mountains, there is another key control project of the Naqing Expressway, which is the Wumengshan Bridge. After completion, the bridge will become the world's first large-span steel truss concrete composite arch bridge, and will become a milestone bridge in China.
Liu Xiaofan, Chief Engineer of Guizhou Highway Group Eighth Engineering Company, a subsidiary of Guizhou Communications Construction Group, stated in an interview with reporters that the construction of the Wumengshan Bridge not only enriches the structural forms of bridges in China and even the world, but also has a profound impact on the design, construction experience, construction methods, technical standards, and other aspects of bridge construction in China.
Building a bridge to lead out a mountain and a natural moat, transforming into a smooth road
While nature's incredible craftsmanship has created magical landscapes, it has also created obstacles and limited development. These two bridges are a microcosm of Guizhou's recent efforts to break through transportation bottlenecks.
World bridges look at China, Chinese bridges look at Guizhou. When it comes to Guizhou bridges, why are there so many bridges in Guizhou? This is determined by the topography of Guizhou itself. Guizhou is located in the southwestern hinterland of China, with nine mountains, half water, and half farmland. More than 92% of the total area of the province is mountainous and hilly, with most of it being karst landforms. Therefore, only by opening tunnels across mountains and building bridges over water can we break through the barriers of heavy mountains and support the takeoff of local economy.
This also provides a broad stage for Guizhou bridges to fly over mountains, cross natural trenches, cross rivers, and reach the world. It is reported that by the end of 2022, nearly half of the world's top 100 high bridges will be located in Guizhou, and 4 out of the top 10 high bridges will be located in Guizhou. The 15 bridges will have won a total of 25 international and domestic awards. It is precisely because of these that Guizhou has won the reputation of "World Bridge Museum".
"We have built more than 28000 highway bridges." Xu Xianghua, chief engineer of Guizhou Provincial Department of Transportation, said that connecting all the bridges that have been built and are under construction for more than 5400 kilometers, we can easily run back and forth from Guiyang to Beijing, and even run through our territory of Chinese Mainland.
Building bridges leads to great mountains, and natural ditches make roads accessible. Behind the construction of bridges in Guizhou, countless people have worked together, and the completed bridges have also changed the lives of countless people. The bridge is not only a means of transportation for people's travel, but also a popular attraction. Nowadays, it has gradually become fashionable to visit bridges in Guizhou. "The bridge not only opens up the road, but also connects prosperity and people's hearts."
My grandfather participated in the construction of the Wujiang Bridge on the Sichuan Guizhou Railway, and my father participated in the construction of the cable-stayed composite bridge on the Guizun high-grade highway... Influenced by his family, Luo Chihao also became acquainted with the bridge. As the district head of the Sky Bridge Service Area in Pingtang County, Guizhou, he serves the bridge visitors who come and go, and also watches as the lives of the people by the bridge get better and better.
The Sky Bridge Service Area is an excellent place to admire the Pingtang Bridge and is also the first highway service area in Guizhou to receive the national 3A level tourist scenic spot title. The high mountain cloud sea, research-oriented tourism, and characteristic agricultural products are stimulated here to generate more energy.
Relying on the unique advantages of the world's tallest bridge tower of Pingtang Bridge, Sky Bridge has become the first and first-class internet celebrity service area in Guizhou and the whole country. Since its trial operation in December 2019, despite the impact of the epidemic, it has received over 55 million tourists and achieved a revenue of 350 million yuan, strongly supporting the recovery growth of the tourism industry in the province.
Going out is a smooth journey, and the people are all delighted
One by one, world-class bridges are constantly breaking world records, achieving a magnificent transformation from "no three feet flat" to "bridge museum", embellishing the "no bridge, no road" Guizhou to the fullest.
Behind the ten thousand bridge flying frames and the smooth bridge network is a vivid portrayal of the leapfrog development of transportation construction in Guizhou. The huge changes in transportation have become one of the most profound impressions that Guizhou has left on the outside world in recent years.
From "county to county connections" to "group to group connections", from "green trains" to "high-speed rail era", from one airport to all 9 cities and prefectures in the province, from rapids and dangerous beaches to "golden waterways", the people are experiencing the changes brought about by transportation firsthand and enjoying increasingly convenient travel services.
Nowadays, a magnificent road network marked by expressways runs through the depths of the mountains, connecting thousands of mountains and valleys. It is laid flat between the Guizhou Mountains and Guizhou Rivers, narrowing the distance between urban and rural areas, facilitating internal and external connections, and fundamentally changing the development pattern of Guizhou. "Going out is a smooth journey, and the people are all delighted."
The reporter learned from the Guizhou Department of Transportation that as of the end of 2022, the mileage of highways in Guizhou has exceeded 8300 kilometers, and it is expected to reach 9500 kilometers by the end of the 14th Five Year Plan. There are 25 out of province highways in Guizhou Province, and it is expected to reach 29 by the end of the 14th Five Year Plan, forming at least 3 inter provincial channels with surrounding provinces. Within the province, there will be a "2-hour" coverage of the Guizhou Central Economic Circle centered on Guiyang, a "4-hour" access to the whole province, and a "7-hour" access to the surrounding provincial capital cities in the "247 Expressway Traffic Circle".
Looking at the land of Guizhou today, a magnificent three-dimensional transportation network is becoming increasingly dense, with highways and counties accessible, high-speed railways flying at lightning speed, and civil aviation reaching new heights. The entire Wujiang waterway is open to navigation, and the once single and scarce transportation in Guizhou is becoming three-dimensional, fast, and diversified.
All industries thrive on the road. The increasingly dense transportation network weaves the "high-speed plain" of Guizhou's economic and social development, connecting the hopes and dreams of Guizhou's mountains and waters, bringing people, logistics, capital, and information flow. The smooth road is paved, and the colorful picture of modernization construction in Guizhou is slowly unfolding.
