A newly completed, 758 m long span of the Hongqi Bridge, located in the mountainous region of Sichuan Province in south-western China, collapsed, sending concrete slabs and debris cascading down a steep slope, and into the water. No injuries have been reported. The bridge was already closed to traffic, due to the appearance of cracks on two of the access roads, and the collapse was following by a landslide in this seismically active area.
The broader context
This bridge was included as part of a national highway project linking Sichuan and Tibet—a massive and ambitious project designed to open access to remote and mountainous regions. China has recently launched a push for infrastructure development in difficult and rugged landscapes, building bridges and highways in places that were previously unaccessible. The tricky part about building in this region is the danger of the terrain: this is the same region impacted by the 2008 Sichuan earthquake, making it critical to consider the challenge of ongoing geological instability.
Why it matters & lessons ahead
The collapse of this critical piece of infrastructure so soon after construction, highlights important matters of construction in difficult terrains, risk assessment and future sustainability. This situation serves as a warning to policymakers, engineers, and planners: regardless of the scope of the desired goals, infrastructure in areas prone to seismic or landslide hazards should always be prioritised as robust rather than speedy. Communities reliant on new transport links will be observing closely how investigations and repair processes unfold. c;ick here for the source
