Taizhou Bridge is the world’s first long-span, three-tower suspension bridge. With two main spans of 1,080m carrying six lanes of traffic, it straddles the two navigation channels of the Yangtze River. Considerable research and development efforts are applied to solve the issues created by the asymmetric live loading, which is the unique feature of this bridge. The team developed innovative solutions, including a central tower that was required to be both stiff and yet flexible enough.
This enormous project was an extraordinary achievement, pushing the frontiers of suspension bridge technology to new heights. The judges feel that it lays out an excellent model for the future development of long-span bridges across the world.