A 694-meter-long super-bridge, part of a 34.8-kilometer expressway traversing Central China's Hubei province, marked a new milestone on May 26 when its side span was fully connected by state builders.

The Hanjiang River Super-bridge of Shiwu (Shiyan-Wuxi) North Expressway, a steel-concrete composite beam cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 370 meters, was successfully connected on its side span by constructors from CCCC Highway Consultants Co Ltd, laying a solid foundation for the completion and operation of the entire line.

Weighing 7,500 metric tons for its total steel beams, the bridge uses double-sided I-beams, combined with precast concrete bridge deck panels, for its main beam.

The Shiyan-Wuxi North Expressway, which will cost 7.45 billion yuan ($1.04 billion) in construction, will connect with the Shiyan-Wuxi Expressway upon completion in 2025. The latter, linking the city of Shiyan in Hubei and Wuxi county in Chongqing municipality, passes through Hubei, Shaanxi and Chongqing, with a total length of 180 kilometers, and an estimated investment of over 28 billion yuan.

It has been learned that the aligned steel beam section this time is the No 9 section on the top of the side span pier, which is 9 meters long and weighs some 215 tons.

Builders from CCCC Highway Consultants implemented the safety technical briefing system, optimized resource allocation and strengthened process control, ushering in the successful construction operation on May 26.

The Shiyan-Wuxi North Expressway is an important part of the "Nine Vertical and Five Horizontal Three Ring" highway network planned by Hubei.

Upon full operation in 2025, the Shiyan-Wuxi North Expressway will help improve the layout of the national expressway network, and optimize the highway network on the border areas of Hubei, Henan, and Shaanxi. It will be of vital importance in promoting the high-quality economic and social development of northwestern Hubei and the surrounding areas.