2016-12-29 11:47:58

(Reporter Chen Cheng, correspondent Zhou Chun, Liu Tao and Gong Xiaofei) The Huangbaihe Bridge, built in 1981, is to be demolished soon, for it cannot meet the increasing navigation and transportation demands. Instead, it will be replaced by the Changjiangxi Bridge, which will be built as the main road linking the central urban area of the Yichang City with the Pinghu Peninsula. On Dec 14, the Yichang Municipal Housing and Urban Construction Committee announced the optional design proposals of the Changjiangxi Bridge to solicit public opinions.
The future Changjiangxi Bridge (the current Huangbaihe Bridge) is located at the junction of the Huangbaihe River and the Yichang section of the Yangtze River adjacent to the central urban area of the Yichang City. The Changjiangxi Bridge, designed as the main road in the city, is expected to play an important role in the transportation network of the urban area. The old Huangbaihe Bridge is an auxiliary project of Gezhouba Water Conservancy Project. It is a reinforced concrete arch bridge with 7 spans (60 meters a span), 8 meters under the bridge, 13 meters wide, and two-way two lanes. Because its bridge span and height cannot meet the future requirements to build the international cruise terminal or allow large cruise ship to navigate under the bridge (the net width of no less than 180 meters, the net height of no less than 18 meters). Besides, the width of the current bridge also cannot meet the transportation demands for the development of the Pinghu Peninsula. Therefore, it must be rebuilt.
At present, four design proposals for the Changjiangxi Bridge have been released for the citizens to vote, which consist of “Three Gorges Tidal Waves”, “Majestic Mountains and Rivers”, “Banks of the Yangtze River” and “Sketches of the Past”. The citizens can subscribe to the public account “yichangzhunjian” on the WeChat to vote for their favorite proposal.
Proposal One
 “Three Gorges Tidal Waves”
As an important port along the Yangtze River, Yichang boasts of abundant water resources, rich in rivers and streams.. This proposal is aiming at reflecting this typical feature of Yichang by making the bridge’s shape look like water. According to this proposal, the bridge will be designed as a steel box arch bridge with five waving spans. The span arrangement is 25+80+256+80+25 meters. The main span is 256 meters. The structure of arch ribs is variable section of steel box. The arch foot adopts steel - concrete composite structure. And the main beam uses cross section of steel box girders.
Proposal Two
 “Majestic Mountains of Yichang City”
Majestic mountains are Yichang’s unique geographic cards. This proposal aims to represent the magnificence of the mountains in the Yichang Three Gorges Area, and to display the ecological landscape of the city by modern architectural techniques of expression. Additionally, this proposal adopts the idea of basket-shaped arch bridge with three-span seagull steel box girder, which spans as 69+318+69 meters, and the main span is 318 meters. The arch ribs adopts concrete composite structure (variable cross-section steel box girders and steel imposts), while the girder adopts equal cross-section steel box girders. The sidewalks on both sides are modeled as “curve-shaped” landscape platform.
 “Banks of the Yangtze River”
Yichang enjoys a special geographical position because it homes to two dams on the Yangtze River. This proposal combines the features of the Three Gorges Project and Gezhouba Water Conservancy and Hydroelectric Project into the construction of the bridge. The bridge arches stretch across the Huangbohe River like the rampant river with untiring water flows, and the arch feet on both sides tilt outward. These make the integral form of the dam. The proposal adopts the idea of basket-shaped arch bridge with three-span undulation steel box girder, which spans separately as 94+268+94 meters, and the main span is 268 meters. The main arch rings above the deck adopt variable cross-section steel box girders, and the arch rings under the deck adopt variable cross-section steel box girders. The main girder of the middle span is a steel girder, and the side girders adopt concrete girder structure.
Proposal Four
 “Sketches of the Past”
This proposal preserves the soft curves and architectural imprints of the old bridge, representing the beautiful memories about the past and the unchanging pursuit of happy life for the Yichang people. The proposal adopts three-hole trussed bridge, which span separately as 100 + 256 + 100 meters, and the main span is 256 meters. The main arch is half-supported girder and the arches on both sides are the upper girders. The arch rings of the main bridge are concrete-filled steel tubular trussed structure. The main girders adopt equal section steel girders, and then landscape bridgeheads will be set up on both sides of main piers and side piers.