Sichuan China's Bridges: Xin Nanmen Bridge across the Jin River (2)

July 2008 (30.648 Degrees, 104.073 Degrees) Xin Nanmen Bridge

A view from the deck of the Xin Nanmen Bridge. The sidewalk is really high, which may be to protect pedestrians from errant vehicles. I would assume it's hollow as otherwise it would be a large dead load for the bridge to carry. I also wonder what are the decorative structures near the stairs? They resemble restroom facilities, which would be unusual for a bridge.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Xin Nanmen Bridge across the Jin River (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Xin Nanmen Bridge across the Jin River (1)

July 2008 (30.648 Degrees, 104.073 Degrees) Xin Nanmen Bridge

Another deck arch bridge across the Jin River in Chengdu, China. I like how this arch has a solid slab instead of individual ribs. This allows the girders to be supported by pier walls instead of spandrel columns. I also like the shape or the exterior girders and the decorations on the barrier rails.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Xin Nanmen Bridge across the Jin River (1) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge in Chengdu (3)

July 2008 (30.654 Degrees, 104.051 Degrees) Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge

A last view of the Quixia Park Bridge. The two parallel decks may have been poured separately, Note the treads to help the people climb the bridge. The high vertical alignment must help to quickly drain the bridge during storms. I must have taken these photos very early in the morning because the streets and bridges are almost empty.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge in Chengdu (3) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge in Chengdu (2)

July 2008 (30.654 Degrees, 104.051 Degrees) Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge

A closer look at the Qixia Park Bridge. We can see that the arch is composed of three reinforced concrete ribs with diaphragms evenly spaced between them.  There are actually two decks with a longitudinal joint between them. Each deck is supported by two concrete girders just inside the arch ribs.

I think a common style for an Asian arch bridge is to have the deck swoop upward on top of the arch at midspan. This may no longer be a choice for U.S. bridges that are built to ADA standards.

Sichuan China's Bridges: Qixia Park Pedestrian Bridge in Chengdu (2) by Mark Yashinsky is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 United States License.