The Changhu River Special Bridge is one of the key control projects of the Nanyangjiang Intercity Railway. The Nanyangjiang Intercity Railway is another high-speed rail corridor connecting Shanghai and Nanjing. It adheres to double-track high-speed rail technical standards, with a design operating speed of 350 kilometers per hour. The main line spans 278.53 kilometers and passes through Jiangning District in Nanjing; Jurong City in Zhenjiang; Jintan and Wujin Districts in Changzhou; Jiangyin City in Wuxi; and Zhangjiagang, Changshu, and Taicang in Suzhou, among other counties, cities, and districts. The Changhu River Special Bridge (partial section), with a total length of 3,135.095 meters, is a key component of Contract Section 9 of the station-front section.

The project’s contractor, China Communications First Highway Engineering Bureau Co., Ltd. (5th Engineering Co., Ltd.), holds a Special Class qualification for general contracting of highway engineering, a Class I qualification for general contracting of municipal public works, and Class I specialized contracting qualifications in four fields—road subgrade, pavement, bridges, and tunnels. It is recognized as a “National High-Tech Enterprise” and a “Beijing Municipal Enterprise Technology Center.” With strong comprehensive capabilities, the company has successively undertaken a large number of landmark projects, including the Beijing-Tianjin-Tanggu Expressway, the Linbai Section of the Beijing-Xinjiang Expressway, the Chongqing-Wanli Expressway, and the Songshan Tunnel on the Beijing-Yanchong Expressway. Projects in which it has participated have won 5 Luban Awards, 3 Zhan Tianyou Awards, and 6 National Quality Engineering Awards, and the company has received an AA rating in the Ministry of Transport’s comprehensive credit evaluation for many consecutive years.

Thanks to its consistent product quality and strong industry reputation, the company has partnered with China Communications First Highway Engineering Bureau No. 5 Engineering Co., Ltd. to supply pot bearings and bridge expansion joints for the Changhu River Special Bridge. This collaboration marks yet another successful application of the company’s products in a high-speed rail special bridge project.

2. Superior Product Technology Ensures Safe Bridge Operation

As a critical structural component of bridges, pot bearings play a key role in transferring loads from the superstructure to the substructure, while also accommodating the displacement and rotation requirements of the bridge under temperature fluctuations and applied loads. The pot bearings manufactured by our company utilize advanced technologies and processes, featuring high load-bearing capacity, strong deformation adaptability, and excellent durability, effectively ensuring the structural safety and stability of bridges during operation.

Regarding bridge expansion joints, the expansion joints supplied by the company for the Changhu River Special Bridge can accommodate the longitudinal displacement caused by temperature changes and applied loads, effectively ensuring a smooth and comfortable driving experience on the bridge deck. They also feature excellent waterproof sealing performance, thereby extending the bridge’s service life.

The Changhu River Special Bridge spans the Haiyangjing River with a continuous beam totaling 153.5 meters in length and a main span of 72 meters. Construction employed a symmetrical cantilever casting method using diamond-shaped formwork baskets, with each segment of the continuous beam constructed sequentially—including formwork advancement, rebar placement, prestressing duct installation, embedded part installation, concrete pouring, prestressing tensioning, and grouting—until the closure segment was completed. Throughout this complex construction process, the bearing products supplied by the company strictly adhered to design requirements and construction standards, enabling the construction team to successfully complete the installation task.