The Nanpu Bridge across Huangpu river is one of the main bridges in Shanghai, China, and the first cable stayed bridge with a span of over 400 meter in the country. The main bridge is 846 meters long with a main span length of 423 meter. Two “H”-shape reinforced concrete towers, each of 150m high, are set up on both banks, with 22 pairs of steel cables being arranged in fan pattern and to support main girders.

One of the attractive characteristics of the bridge is the circular design that is implemented in order to reduce the gradient of the approach to the bridge while keeping land use at minimal. When viewed across the entire span, the Nanpu Bridge, with a total length of 8,346 meter, looks like a dragon lying across the Huangpu River, with its head and tail in a spiral shape linking the old city area of Puxi with Pudong Developing Zone.

Before completion of the bridge in 1991, the only way to communicate between Puxi and Pudong was to take the ferry service. After the bridge opened to the public, 14,000 to 17,000 vehicles started piling on the bridge each day, which increased to 120,000 vehicles per day as recorded in the year 2006.

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