New Chinese Bridge Suffers Partial Collapse
A newly opened bridge in south-west China has partially collapsed, sending large sections of concrete tumbling down a mountainside. The incident occurred on Tuesday at the Hongqi Bridge in Sichuan province, a region known for its difficult terrain.
No casualties were reported from the collapse, which sent plumes of dust into the air and debris into the water below. The bridge had only been open for a short period before the failure.
Timeline of a Structural Failure
Authorities had taken the precaution of closing the 758 metre-long bridge on Monday after concerning cracks appeared on nearby roads. This preventative measure likely saved lives.
However, a landslide on Tuesday proved too much for the structure, causing a section of the bridge to break apart completely. Videos of the dramatic collapse were widely shared on Chinese social media platforms, sparking public discussion.
The Hongqi Bridge was a key part of a national highway designed to link Sichuan province with Tibet. This route traverses a seismically active part of China, an area previously devastated by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake that killed nearly 70,000 people.
Context of China's Construction Boom
According to a social media post by the contractors, Sichuan Road and Bridge Group, construction on the bridge was finished earlier this year. Its rapid failure will undoubtedly lead to investigations.
This event occurs against the backdrop of China's decades-long construction boom, which has focused on connecting remote, mountainous areas. These ambitious projects have drastically reduced travel times between towns and villages that were once days apart.
Just in September, China unveiled the world's tallest bridge in the neighbouring Guizhou province, highlighting the scale and ambition of its infrastructure push. The collapse of the Hongqi Bridge raises significant questions about the challenges of building and maintaining such complex structures in geologically unstable regions.
