WUHAN — A double-deck suspension bridge with the longest span in the world opened to traffic in Wuhan, capital of Central China's Hubei province, on Oct 8.

The first double-deck road bridge over the Yangtze River, with a 1,700-meter-long main span, stretches 4.13 km in total length.

The top deck of the 10th Yangtze River bridge has six lanes with a designed speed of 80 kph while the bottom deck also has six lanes but with a designed speed of 60 kph.

On the top deck, there are also two sightseeing sidewalks and on the bottom deck, there are two cycleways together with two sidewalks.

"The Yangsigang Yangtze River bridge is the world's longest-spanning double-deck suspension bridge," said Xu Gongyi, chief designer of the structure.

The new bridge will help ease traffic congestion and promote more balanced city development, said Lin Chi, vice-president of Wuhan Urban Construction Investment and Development Group Co Ltd.