China, fundamentally, is a nation that has consistently shattered the norms of conventional success, establishing new standards in technology, infrastructure, and international cooperation.

The core of this advancement lies in a people-centered approach, focusing on quality, efficiency, and trust-based alliances. This strategy propels not only domestic progress but also cultivates an environment conducive to global collaborations, ensuring mutual development and shared success.

Within the expansive panorama of China’s infrastructure accomplishments, the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge shines brightly, not merely as an engineering wonder but as a demonstration of the power of dreaming ambitiously and the relentless pursuit of those dreams.

Located in East China’s Jiangsu Province, the bridge forms a crucial nexus between the cities of Changzhou and Taizhou, spanning the Yangtze River – the longest river in Eurasia and a cradle of Chinese civilization for thousands of years.

The Yangtze River, being the longest river flowing entirely within a single nation, originates from Jari Hill in the Tanggula Mountains on the Tibetan Plateau, winding 6,300 kilometers eastward to the East China Sea. It stands as the world’s fifth-largest river by discharge volume.

Historically, the Yangtze has played a critical role in China’s development, serving various functions such as water supply, irrigation, sanitation, transportation, industry, and demarcation.

The river is embracing a new era with the erection of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge. This structure is not just a crossing over water; it represents a multi-dimensional avenue for high-speed travel, economic amalgamation, and technological advancement.

From its initial concept in October 2019 to the nearing completion of its upper structure, the journey of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge has been a saga of surmounting obstacles and realizing ‘four world firsts’ in construction milestones. It symbolizes China’s engineering prowess and its vision for a future where distances are diminished, not just physically but also in the hearts and minds of its people.

Beyond its tangible features, the bridge acts as a strategic fulcrum in the urbanization and regional integration of the Yangtze River metropolises, unlocking new avenues for transportation, commerce, and cultural interchange.

Boasting an impressive length of 10.03 kilometers, it features a dual-layered design accommodating both rail and road traffic, thereby pioneering a new genre of river crossing infrastructure.

The upper deck featuring a two-way six-lane expressway is designed to enable swift travel at speeds of up to 200 kilometers per hour, while the lower deck with a four-lane highway accommodates conventional vehicular traffic, ensuring an uninterrupted flow of goods and individuals.

Constructed by the China Communications Construction Co (CCCC), the bridge’s completion is expected to drastically shorten travel times between Taizhou and Changzhou, thereby stimulating economic growth in southern Jiangsu and the broader Yangtze River Delta region.

As CCCC management articulated, traversing between the two cities previously took an hour and a half, but the bridge is anticipated to cut this duration to 30 minutes.

Today, significant milestones have been achieved, including the completion of the open caisson foundation in March 2021, the topping out of the cable tower at Pier 5 in October 2023, and substantial progress in 2023 with the northern connection and the assembly of the main channel bridge’s steel truss beam. Presently, the bridge is in the final stages of construction. The construction of this monumental project is expected to last five and a half.

The CCCC overseeing the project, is a leading global provider of large-scale infrastructure services, specializing in the investment, construction, and operation of transportation infrastructure, equipment manufacturing, real estate, and urban comprehensive development.

Boasting listings in Hong Kong and Shanghai, the company’s profitability and capacity for value creation are recognized as leading globally. In 2021, CCCC achieved the 61st rank in the Fortune Global 500.

With over 60 wholly-owned or controlled subsidiaries and a history spanning a century, CCCC has been at the forefront of industry innovation in China. The company’s products and services are available in more than 150 countries.

Among CCCC’s notable engineering platforms are the China Roads and Bridge Corporation and the China Harbour Engineering Company.

The project’s total investment amounts to 28.6 billion RMB (approximately US$4 billion), with the cross-river bridge component costing approximately 16 billion RMB ( over US$ 2 billion.

The management emphasizes their commitment to innovation and adaptation of the latest technologies in the realization of their projects, underscoring the robustness of their engineering solutions.

The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge’s significance transcends its immediate geographical and economic impacts. It serves as a vibrant testament to quality infrastructure undertaken through the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), to which CCCC has contributed in no small part .

The BRI, initiated by Chinese President Xi Jinping in 2013, has become a fundamental platform for infrastructure development cooperation, significantly benefiting Africa’s economic and social advancement.

As of January 2023, 151 countries had joined the BRI, representing nearly 75% of the global population and over half of the world’s GDP. This initiative is projected to elevate the global GDP by $7.1 trillion annually by 2040, demonstrating its substantial potential for addressing infrastructure gaps and propelling global economic growth.

Over fifty African nations have engaged with the BRI, experiencing benefits such as improved infrastructure, reduced unemployment, and expanded trade opportunities.

Chinese enterprises have been instrumental in implementing significant infrastructure projects across Africa, including railways, roads, bridges, and ports, generating over 4.5 million jobs and revitalizing communities.

CCCC has played a crucial role in these developments, with management expressing confidence in the continued flourishing of cooperation.

According to Zha Chan Gmiao, Executive General Manager of the Brand & Corporate Culture Department at CCCC, their business encompasses roads, airports, railways, and ports, essentially connecting infrastructure.

Notable projects across the continent enhancing connectivity and economic growth include Algeria’s El Hamdania Central Port, the Addis Ababa–Djibouti Railway and Water Pipeline, various projects in Egypt, Kenya’s Mombasa–Nairobi Standard Gauge Railway, and several transformative endeavors in Rwanda.

Leveraging its existing expertise, the company aims to make further contributions to Africa’s development. CCCC management highlights the importance of skills transfer, as seen in the railway project in Mombasa, where Chinese engineers collaborated closely with local workers.

As the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge approaches completion, its story transcends the realms of concrete and steel, embodying the essence of dreams turned into tangible reality.

Photos of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge under construction

The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge stands as a monument to engineering brilliance and a symbol of dreams transforming into reality.

Théophile Niyitegeka / Jiangsu, China