collision
Bridge accident in China – this replacement bridge was built after just seven days
The Bhefksbrücke was built in just a few days.
A bridge 800 meters long was rammed not only in Baltimore, but also in China. The authorities there were able to build a temporary bridge in a few days.
It wasn’t just in Baltimore that a bridge was rammed. Also in In late February, a large barge collided with the Lixinsha Bridge, which is about 800 meters long and crosses the Hongqili Waterway. The barge turned sideways and damaged two pillars so badly that a segment of the bridge collapsed. Five people died.
Five months for a repair
The affected pillars must be rebuilt, then the segment of the roadway must be laid up. The Chinese authorities estimate the repairs will take four to five months.
But the connection to Sanmin Island should not be interrupted until then, so the Chinese built a temporary bridge. It does not reach the height of the original; since the waterway cannot be used due to construction work on the damaged bridge, the missing headroom is not significant. Only seven days were needed to build the temporary bridge. To support it, a large number of pillars were driven into the ground. Cranes then placed heavy steel beams on these supports, followed by additional steel plates and finally a roadway. A construction like that of military pioneers.
As fast as Caesar
Even though this bridge isn’t meant to last forever, the speed is still surprising. In Hamburg, the construction of a – permanent – replacement tunnel for the dilapidated Köhlbrand Bridge is expected to take nine years. Just procuring the material and planning a replacement bridge like in China should take a year. Patriotic Chinese bloggers are celebrating the record-breaking time, along with hints about how long it will take for the Baltimore bridge to resume operation. Even though the construction of a comparable temporary bridge in the West certainly takes longer than in China, the comparison is doubly flawed. At 2,770 meters, the Francis Scott Key Bridge is much longer than the Lixinsha Bridge. And in the US, priority will be given to the port’s entrance, which must be kept open. While the waterway in China can easily be bypassed.
By the way, the Chinese pace is not a miracle. Julius Caesar had his legionaries in 55 BC. B.C. build a bridge over the Rhine. It took them ten days to cover a length of about 400 meters.