China's first 10,000-tonne bridge rotates to span maglev line

A silent "air ballet" unfolded in Pudong, Shanghai, on the night of January 8. The continuous beam of the Chuansha Super Major Bridge, weighing about 10,000 tonnes, completed a 60-degree rotation with millimeter-level precision under the traction of four intelligent jacks, successfully spanning the operational maglev line and Yingbin Expressway. This high-difficulty construction, lasting only one hour, marked another milestone in China's infrastructure history as the country's first large-span bridge rotation over an operational high-speed maglev line.

The key project of the second phase of the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Railway (Taicang to Situan section) was constructed by China Construction Eighth Engineering Bureau and managed by Shanghai State Railway Construction Management Company. The rotation, accomplished at 11:30 p.m. on January 8, signifies crucial progress in the railway's construction and lays a solid foundation for subsequent track-laying work.

To address challenges like zero interference to maglev operations and high precision requirements, the project team adopted an innovative construction plan: "symmetrical cantilever casting along the maglev line first, then clockwise rotation into place." This approach significantly reduced overhead cross-line construction time and minimized disruptions to existing traffic. Equipped with customized 100,000-kN spherical hinges and intelligent dynamic control systems, the rotation achieved an axis deviation of less than 5 millimeters and a closure error within 2 millimeters.

The successful rotation fills the technical gap in large-span bridge rotation over operational high-speed maglev lines in China, providing replicable construction standards and management experience for similar projects. Stretching 111.8 kilometers with a designed speed of 200 km/h, the Shanghai-Suzhou-Nantong Railway Phase II will improve Shanghai's transportation hub capacity and promote economic integration in the Yangtze River Delta upon completion.