Branded a Chinese icon, the collapsed bridge is claimed to be able to withstand a M 8 earthquake

Jakarta, hitclubapk3 Indonesia
—
Hongqi Bridge
in Sichuan Province,
China
, which partially collapsed on Tuesday (11/11) was championed by the government as an icon of infrastructure progress in the Bamboo Curtain Country.
The 758 meter long bridge was only completed at the beginning of this year and officially opened in April.However, the bridge connecting China’s central region with Tibet collapsed on Tuesday afternoon at around 15.00 and 16.00 local time.
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Government newspaper report
Global Times
explained that the bridge collapsed after cracks had been detected the day before on the road surface and bridge slopes.At that time, the authorities immediately imposed temporary traffic restrictions.
A number of video recordings that have gone viral on social media show the bridge, which is located in the Maerkang mountain region and near the Shuangjiangkou Hydroelectric Power Plant (PLTA), bending, before finally collapsing into the river below.This incident caused concrete rubble and thick dust to rise high.
The local transportation and public security agency said the slope on the right side of the bridge showed signs of deformation on Monday, just a dozen hours before the bridge collapsed.
Authorities quickly closed bridge access to all vehicles and issued a public warning regarding potential safety risks.
Although there were no injuries or fatalities, this incident raises questions about the process of building the bridge with a capital of around 300 million yuan (around Rp. 660 billion).
Construction and design of the bridge was managed by Chengdu Engineering Corporation, a state-owned subsidiary under China Power Construction Corporation which is supervised by the State-Owned Assets Supervision and Administration Commission (SASAC).
Quoted
Asia Financial
, the Hongqi Bridge was previously hailed as an “engineering marvel”, with a main span of 232 meters and claimed to be able to withstand earthquakes of up to magnitude 8.
Until now, there is no certainty about the cause of this modern bridge collapsing.However, soil or geological instability was immediately suspected as the cause of the landslide and bridge collapse.Because, Sichuan and Yunnan are in earthquake-prone areas.
However, speculation has also emerged linking this incident to the operations of the Shuangjiangkou Hydroelectric Power Plant, the highest hydroelectric dam in the world.
Tibetan American Network, a Tibetan-language daily news service, reported on Tuesday that sources in Tibet said there was a geological disturbance shortly after the completion ceremony of the Shuangjiangkou Dam on Sunday (9/11).
The 315 meter high dam is designed to produce 2,000 megawatts of electricity per year.
The dam began filling on May 1, according to reports
Tibetan Review.
The media also mentioned that Sichuan is an area with high seismic activity and an alpine landscape that is prone to landslides.
The media also noted that the risk was “exacerbated by climate change-driven monsoons” as well as the massive load of upstream dams.
Large capacity dam reservoirs are known to trigger earthquakes, especially when built in areas with seismic activity.
Slope conditions around the Hongqi Bridge worsened on Tuesday afternoon, triggering a landslide that caused parts of the bridge and the road to collapse, according to
Reuters
citing local officials.
While “geological instability” appears to be the primary cause, investigations are reportedly underway into possible design flaws, material quality and poor workmanship.
The incident also shines a spotlight on the safety of China’s infrastructure and raises questions about whether it can withstand a growing number of extreme weather events, as well as whether the country needs to continue building coal-fired power plants that are seen as worsening global warming.
China is known to be aggressive in building infrastructure starting from highways and high-speed trains during the 13 years of President Xi Jinping’s leadership.However, at the same time, China has also experienced a number of infrastructure accidents such as bridges and roads in recent years.
Several months ago, at least a dozen workers died when a 1.6-kilometer-long railway bridge collapsed during construction in China’s northwestern Qinghai Province.
Last year, 38 people died when part of a bridge in Shaanxi province collapsed due to heavy rain and flash floods that swept more than two dozen vehicles into a fast-flowing river.
In May 2024, around 36 people died after heavy rain caused part of a highway to collapse in a mountainous region of Guangdong Province.
(rds/bac)