Waibaidu Bridge

Waibaidu Bridge

外白渡桥
Waibaidu Bridge in 2019
Coordinates31°14′35″N 121°29′24″E / 31.24306°N 121.49000°E / 31.24306; 121.49000
CarriesRoad and pedestrian
CrossesSuzhou Creek
LocaleNear confluence of Huangpu River and Suzhou Creek, Shanghai, China
Other name(s)Garden Bridge
Characteristics
Designcamelback truss bridge[1]
MaterialSteel
Total length104.9 metres (344 ft)
Width18.4 metres (60 ft)
Longest span52.16 metres (171.1 ft)
No. of spans2
Piers in water1
Load limit20.32 tonnes (20.00 long tons; 22.40 short tons)
Clearance below3.25 metres (10.7 ft) highest tide; 5.57 metres (18.3 ft) lowest tide
History
DesignerHowarth Erskine Ltd
Constructed byCleveland Bridge & Engineering Company
Construction start4 August 1906[1]
Construction end29 December 1907[2]
Opened20 January 1908
Location
Map

The Waibaidu Bridge (Chinese: 外白渡桥; pinyin: Wàibáidù Qiáo; Shanghainese: Ngabahdu Jio), called the Garden Bridge in English, is the first all-steel bridge,[3] and the only surviving example of a camelback truss bridge, in China. The present bridge is the fourth Western-designed bridge built at its location since 1856, in the downstream of the estuary of the Suzhou Creek (formerly known as Wusong or Soochow Creek), near its confluence with the Huangpu River, adjacent to the Bund in central Shanghai. It connects the Huangpu and Hongkou districts and was opened on 20 January 1908. With its rich history and unique design the Waibaidu Bridge is one of the symbols of Shanghai.[4] Its modern and industrial image may be regarded as the city's landmark bridge. On 15 February 1994 the Shanghai Municipal Government declared the bridge an example of Heritage Architecture, and one of the outstanding structures in Shanghai.[5] In an ever-changing metropolis, the Waibaidu Bridge still remains a popular attraction, and one of the few constants in the city skyline.

  1. ^ a b Nicolas Janberg, Chief Editor. "Waibaidu Bridge (Shanghai, 1907) | Structurae". En.structurae.de. Retrieved 7 September 2013. {{cite web}}: |author= has generic name (help)
  2. ^ "China's 1st Steel Bridge Passes Test," Shanghai Daily (29 December 2007); http://china.org.cn/english/China/237483.htm
  3. ^ "The Preservation and Renovation of Waibaidu Bridge,"WHITR-AP (Shanghai) NEWSLETTER 9 (March 2009):4.; http://whitr-ap.org/download/Newsletter%209.pdf[permanent dead link]
  4. ^ Hanchao Lu, Beyond the Neon Lights: Everyday Shanghai in the Early Twentieth Century (University of California Press, 2004):42.
  5. ^ "ÂõµÀÒ½Ò© - Powered by SupeSite". www.medop.com.cn. Archived from the original on 16 May 2020. Retrieved 15 January 2022.