Lupu Bridge located in Shanghai , China is the worlds longest arch bridge. The wonderful arch bridge received in 2008 the IABSE Outstanding Structure Award for being ‘A soaring box-arch bridge with a record span, clean impressive lines and innovative use of the side spans of the arch and the deck to resist the thrust of the main arch’.
Lupu Bridge - Shanghai , China
The construction of this project aimed to meet the local expansion requirement of getting traffic across the Huangpo River and improving the traffic condition between Pudong International Airport and the Shanghai center.
The bridge was opened on June 28, 2003. The 3,900-meter (12,795 ft) arch bridge had a total cost of 2.5 billion yuan (US$302 million) .Lupu Bridge is 32 meters (105 ft) longer than the previous record holder, the New River Gorge Bridge , United States.
Lupu Bridge over Huangpo River
Controversy
Scholars and experts agreed with the local authorities that indeed there is a need of a bridge in that location but the similarities ended here . The experts have continuously tried to pursue the local government on alternative designs that cost much less and produce the same result, but the authorities decided against the advice to select the current Lupu arch bridge design.
Lupu Bridge - Night View
The reason was simply because for the cheaper alternative bridge designs, there were already such bridges in Shanghai, and the arch bridge design helped the city to claim a world record for being the longest.
Critics point out the superficiality of the authorities that are ignoring the real need of the city, causing the city and its residents to pay much more to recover the investment cost.
Lupu Bridge- Car View
Quick facts
- Crosses – Huangpu River
- Design -Arch Bridge
- Total length – 3,900 m (12,795 ft)
- Width – 28.7 m (94 ft)
- Longest span – 550 m (1,804 ft)
- Clearance below- 46 m (151 ft)
