On August 31, Xiaochuan Bridge over the Xin’an River in Shexian County, a key comprehensive transportation project under the 14th Five-Year Plan in Huangshan City, was officially completed and opened to traffic. As the first tunnel-anchored suspension bridge in Anhui Province, the bridge stretches across the Xin’an River like a long rainbow. It has finally eliminated the barrier of the river and fulfilled the cross-river travel dream of more than 30,000 residents on both banks of Xiaochuan Township.

Separated by the Xin’an River, the eight administrative villages of Xiaochuan Township line the river and fall into two major east and west zones, leaving residents living across the river from one another. Previously, to travel between the two banks, local residents either took ferries or made long detours, and a river crossing would take over an hour.

Liu Yuan, Project Manager of Xiaochuan Bridge, told reporters that the bridge has a total length of 1.148 km, with the bridge section measuring 369.5 meters. Its main bridge is a 320-meter single-span double-tower suspension bridge with steel box girders. Construction started in 2023 with a total investment of approximately 180 million yuan. Its unique tunnel anchorage design fills the provincial gap in the construction of this type of bridge. According to introductions, this construction method protects the ecology along both banks of the Xin’an River to the maximum extent, with bridge pylons and main cables blending harmoniously into the riverside landscape.

“The bridge opening effectively opens up passages for mountain farm produce to reach markets. It makes transportation of local specialty products such as tea and citrus from Xiaochuan Township much easier. Meanwhile, it connects cultural and tourism resources along the river, unlocks the development potential of rural tourism along the route, and injects strong transportation-driven momentum into rural revitalization in areas including Xiaochuan and Jiekou,” said an official from the People’s Government of Xiaochuan Township.

Source: Anhui Daily