Difference between revisions of "Puli Bridge"
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2,060 foot span / 628 meter span<br /> | 2,060 foot span / 628 meter span<br /> | ||
2015<br /> | 2015<br /> | ||
+ | ''World's Highest Bridge 2015-2016''<br /> | ||
[[File:PuliBridgeWideView.jpg|750px|center]] | [[File:PuliBridgeWideView.jpg|750px|center]] | ||
</div> | </div> |
Revision as of 08:38, 1 January 2015
Puli Bridge
普立特大桥
Pulixiang, Yunnan, China
1,640 feet high / 500 meters high
2,060 foot span / 628 meter span
2015
World's Highest Bridge 2015-2016
Puli Bridge surprised and shocked the bridge community when it become the highest suspension bridge and the World's Highest Bridge of any kind in 2015 with a deck 500 meters over the surface of Puli creek. The inaccessible terrain on the east and west slopes along Puli Creek made it difficult for the bridge engineers to create an exact topographic model of the bottom of the Puli Creek canyon and once rock stability was ensured near the towers there was little need for them to find out how far down the elevation of the creek was. In 2014 I was able to measure the height from the construction catwalk of the main cables confirming a vertical drop of 500 meters. With the center of the span at around 1,828 meters, the bottom of the nearby Gexiang River Gorge is approximately 600 meters lower at around 1,228 meters elevation.
The main span of 628 meters will be unique among China's highest suspension bridges in that it will have a thin, steel box deck girder instead of the usual truss. The Longjiang Bridge - also under construction in Yunnan Province - will also utilize an aerodynamic box deck girder. The entire main span of Puli is composed of 52 segments of 12 meters in length. Puli Bridge will remain the highest bridge in Yunnan Province until the Jinshajiang Bridge Taku surpasses it in 2020.
The first pilot line for the main cable was shot across the canyon tethered to the back end of a rocket in early 2013. This is only the 3rd time this has ever been done after the Siduhe and Lishuihe Bridges.
The span is part of the new G56 expressway that will connect the city of Xuanwei, Yunnan with Liupanshui, Guizhou as well as the G76 expressway in Bijie, Guizhou. This entire Yunnan/Guizhou border region is becoming a new hot spot of high Chinese bridges. In addition to Puli they include the nearby Beipanjiang Bridge Duge which will become the World's Highest Bridge in 2016 as well as the Beipanjiang Railway, Beipanjiang Shuipan and Dimuhe Bridges.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Puli Bridge rocket launch to bring the main suspension cable pilot line across the canyon.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A 2011 view of the construction roads.
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
Image by Eric Sakowski / HighestBridges.com
A rendering of the Puli Bridge showing the span across the Gexiang River and not Puli Creek. They probably did this due to the extreme difficulty of driving to on overlook on the south side of the Gexiang River canyon.
Another early computer rendering of the Puli Bridge.
A group of Yunnan engineers visit the bridge site in 2011.
A group of Chinese engineers discuss the bridge design. The simplified terrain below the model does not show the full height of the V-shaped valley.
Puli Bridge satellite image. Note how the bridge crosses the Puli River just before it empties into the Gexiang River that flows off to the right. The Puli Creek descends as much as 200 meters during this last stretch before it joins the Gexiang River.
Puli Bridge location map.