Ranked as the longest cable-stayed bridge in the world by Engineering News-Record, the Sutong Bridge has a main span of 1,190 yards (1,088 meters). The bridge crosses the Yangtze River and connects the cities of Suzhou and Nantong in China.
AECOM provided design and construction engineering services to the main contractor, China Communications and Construction Company, Second Navigational Engineering Bureau, during the construction phase of the bridge.
Services included:
- Contractor’s alternative design
- Development of construction methodology
- Construction engineering/erection analysis/geometry control
- Deck lifting methods and procedures
- Surveying and monitoring techniques and systems
- Stay-cable installation simulations
- Advice on construction method statements and specifications
- Bridge aerodynamics and wind tunnel testing
- Vibration mitigation measures/devices
- Falsework and plant/equipment design
- Advice on innovation and high-technology, and research and development
The bridge’s two towers are inverted Y-shaped reinforced concrete structures. Each tower has one connecting girder between its legs. The deck of the bridge is a steel box girder with internal transverse and longitudinal diaphragms, with fairing noses at both sides of the bridge deck. The total width of the deck is approximately 45 yards (41 meters), including the fairing noses.
Among other notable achievements, the bridge’s two pylon foundations, each founded on 131 piles, are the largest ever attempted, and the 328-yard (300-meter) bridge pylons are the tallest ever constructed. Additionally, the 631-yard-long (577-meter-long) stayed cables are the longest ever made.
Since its opening to traffic in 2008, the bridge has reduced the commute between Suzhou and Nantong from four hours to one hour.
This iconic project was selected as the world’s 2010 Outstanding Civil Engineering Achievement by American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) in its annual Outstanding Projects and Leaders (OPAL) awards program. In the words of the judges, “The Sutong Bridge pushed the technological frontier of long-span bridge construction.”