Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge 南京长江大桥
The two levels of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge (2008)
Coordinates	32°06′55″N 118°44′20″E / 32.1152°N 118.7388°E / 32.1152; 118.7388
Carries	Beijing–Shanghai Railway Nanjing–Xi'an Railway Nanjing–Qidong Railway Shanghai–Chengdu Railway National Highway 104 National Highway 205 National Highway 312
Crosses	Yangtze River
Locale	China: Nanjing, Jiangsu
Owner	People's Government of Nanjing Shanghai Railway Bureau
Characteristics
Design	2-level truss bridge
Material	Steel
Total length	Road: 4,588 meters (15,052 ft) Railroad: 6,772 meters (22,218 ft)
Width	Road: 19.5 meters (64 ft) Sidewalk: 4.5 meters (15 ft) Railroad: 14 meters (46 ft)
Height	70 meters (230 ft)
Longest span	160 meters (525 ft)
Number of spans	10
Piers in water	9
Clearance below	24 meters (79 ft)
History
Designer	PRC Ministry of Railways
Construction begin	18 January 1960
Construction end	Road: 29 December 1968 Railroad: 30 September 1968
Replaces	Yangtze River Railway Ferry
Statistics
Daily traffic	Road: 80,000 cars, trucks, & buses Railroad: 200 trains (2011)

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a famous bridge in Nanjing, China. It crosses the mighty Yangtze River. This bridge is special because it has two levels! The top level is a busy road for cars, buses, and trucks, and it also has a sidewalk for people to walk. This road part is about 4,588 meters (or 15,052 feet) long.

The bottom level of the bridge is a railroad for trains. This railroad part is even longer, about 6,772 meters (or 22,218 feet) long. The bridge is taken care of by Nanjing's government and the Shanghai Railway Bureau.

What's in a Name?
Building a Landmark Bridge
Bridge for Transport
Art and History on the Bridge
Images for kids
See also

What's in a Name?

The Chinese name for the bridge is Nánjīng Chángjiāng Dàqiáo. This means "the Big Bridge across the Long River in the Southern Capital."

Chángjiāng means "Long River," which is the Chinese name for the Yangtze River.
"Nanjing" means "Southern Capital."

The name is written 南京長江大橋 using traditional characters and 南京长江大桥 using simplified characters.

Building a Landmark Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge, when it was being built

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge in 2008

The Yangtze River is very wide and powerful. For a long time, people had to use ferry boats to cross it. This made travel slow and made it harder for China's economy to grow.

Work on the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge started in 1960. Both the road and railroad parts were finished and opened in late 1968. This bridge was the third one built across the Yangtze River. However, it was the first very large bridge that was completely designed and built by Chinese people. This made it a huge achievement for China.

The bridge is still a very important landmark in Nanjing. It also features poems and sayings by Mao Zedong and art from the time it was built.

Bridge for Transport

The top level of the Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is a major road. It is part of National Highway 104, and also parts of highways 205 and 312.

The bottom level is a busy railroad. It is part of the Beijing–Shanghai Railway. This railroad is used by regular trains. (Faster high-speed trains between Beijing and Shanghai use a different bridge.) The railroad on this bridge is also used for the Nanjing–Xi'an and Nanjing–Qidong Railway lines.

Art and History on the Bridge

The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge was built during a special time in China's history. It was built under the leadership of Mao Zedong. Because of this, the bridge is decorated with his sayings and calligraphy (artistic handwriting).

You can also see statues and pictures of strong soldiers, workers, and farmers. These artworks show the spirit of the time and China's growing industry.