The Zamao River Grand Bridge (扎毛河特大桥) is a significant infrastructure project located in Qinghai Province, China. It serves as a key control engineering structure for the Tongren to Sairong (Tong-Sai) Highway.
Here is a summary for its introduction:
Key Facts and Structure
- Project Context: The Zamao River Grand Bridge is a crucial part of the Tong-Sai Highway, which is a segment of the G0611 Zhangye to Wenchuan Expressway (“纵一” in Qinghai’s highway network plan). The completed highway is expected to improve regional transportation and promote interconnectivity in the border areas of Qinghai, Gansu, and Sichuan.
- Bridge Type: It is a Continuous Rigid Frame Bridge (连续刚构桥).
- Dimensions: The main bridge measures 496 meters long, and the overall length of the structure is approximately 2.08 kilometers (2088m). The main structure spans four sections, designed as (88 + 2 × 160 + 88) meters.
- Notable Feature: The bridge is characterized as a high-pier, large-span structure. Its highest pier, Pier 10#, reaches 151.7 meters. This makes Pier 10# the highest concrete bridge pier currently under construction in Qinghai Province. The pier uses a complex combination of double-limb equal-section hollow piers and rectangular thin-walled hollow piers.
Location and Construction
- Location: The bridge is located in Qinghai, starting in Tongren City and ending near Sairong Township (Qinghai-Gansu border). The site is high-altitude, at an elevation of approximately 3,100 meters.
- Environmental Sensitivity: The bridge site lies in an ecologically fragile area, with parts of the construction area located within the Sanjiangyuan Core Protected Area and the Maixiu Forest Farm (a national second-level protected forest).
- Innovative Techniques: To minimize environmental damage, particularly to vegetation, the project utilized a freight cable car to assist construction instead of relying heavily on temporary roads. Innovative construction techniques were also used for the high piers, including heavy hydraulic climbing formwork and intelligent monitoring systems to control quality and safety during construction.
Current Status
- The Zamao River Grand Bridge achieved full bridge closure (合龙) on October 19, 2025. This milestone lays a firm foundation for the entire Tong-Sai Highway to open as scheduled.