Completed in 2023, the 295-metre Chengdu West First Bridge is the first in a series of bridges on Chengdu’s West Line Road, crossing the Jiangxi River, a tributary of the Tuojiang River in the Sichuan province. With its 185-metre central span and 55-metre secondary spans reaching to the riverbanks, it is a road, cycle and pedestrian bridge over the meandering Jiangxi River; enabling the West Line Road to become the western section of the Airport New Town ring-road and cycle route.
As arches provide the most efficient bridge structure for spans between 120-250 metres, this symmetrical bridge is composed of two primary steel arches that rise from either side of the road deck. As they rise, the arches lean together to touch tangentially at their crown, stabilising the structure from lateral wind forces.
The dynamic curvature of the bridge’s supporting piers and abutments taper into its primary arches and road deck, defining a sculptural landmark within Chengdu’s transport infrastructure.
Client: Chengdu International Aerotropolis Group Construction and Development
Architecture, landscape consultant, lighting gesign: Zaha Hadid Architects (ZHA)
Design: Patrik Schumacher
Executive architect: China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute
Structural engineers: Buro Happold, China Southwest Architectural Design & Research Institute
Environmental consultant: Shenzhen Pengdaxin Energy Environmental Protection Technology
Photo credits: Arch Exist, Liang Xue
