Good News: The Pingtang Bridge has been awarded the “Outstanding Infrastructure Award” by the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE).

Release time:

2022-11-18 13:46

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On the evening of November 17, local time, at the 2022 Awards Ceremony of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE) held in Zurich, Switzerland, the Pingtang Bridge once again won an international honor, receiving the IABSE Award for Infrastructure—Winner.

IABSE Awards Ceremony Venue

The International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering (IABSE), founded in 1929, currently has more than 3,000 members from over 100 countries and regions worldwide. It is now the international industry association with the largest number of member countries in the field of civil engineering. The Outstanding Structure Award, established in 2000, is an annual highlight for structural engineers. This year, IABSE has divided the award into seven categories, one of which is the "Outstanding Infrastructure Award." The Pingtang Bridge was shortlisted for this award along with five other outstanding projects from China and abroad. At the ceremony, the host announced live that the Pingtang Bridge had been awarded the prize. Ms. Tina Vejrum, the current President of the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, and Professor Ge Yaojun from Tongji University, the former President, presented the certificate and trophy to Yang Jian, Chief Engineer of Guizhou Provincial Transportation Planning, Survey & Design Institute Co., Ltd., as the project’s representative. Chen Yinggao, Deputy Director of the Bridge Design Division, also attended the ceremony and received the award together with Yang Jian.

Yang Jian, Chief Engineer of Kan She Shares, represented the Pingtang Project.

Kanshe Shares representatives attended the IABSE Awards Gala on behalf of the project team.

This is the Pingtang Bridge project’s second international award, following its 2021 win of the International Bridge Conference (IBC) “Gustav Lindenthal Medal” and the FIDIC Global Engineering Project “Outstanding Award.” With this achievement, the project has completed a grand slam of prestigious international bridge engineering awards, once again bringing Guizhou’s bridges to international acclaim.

Pingtang Bridge Receives IABSE’s “Outstanding Infrastructure Award” Certificate and Trophy

The Pingtang Bridge is a super-large bridge spanning the Caodu River Grand Canyon along the Pingtang–Luodian Expressway. It’s a cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 2×550 meters, featuring three towers and a double-cable-plane steel-concrete composite girder. The bridge was invested in and constructed by Guizhou Provincial Highway Development Co., Ltd. Construction began on April 29, 2016, and the bridge was completed and opened to traffic on December 31, 2019. During its design, the bridge incorporated elements unique to the local ethnic minorities—such as their traditional costumes and dances—into the tower designs, taking into account the structural requirements of the towers. Ultimately, the “skirt-like” tower shape was chosen, seamlessly integrating with the main girders and cables to create a highly dynamic overall bridge silhouette. During construction, new types of construction equipment were developed, and the innovative technique of longitudinally shifting and rotating entire steel-girder segments for on-site assembly was a world first. The accompanying “Sky Bridge” sightseeing service area serves as a prime example of Guizhou’s integrated development of bridges and tourism, and has become a well-known internet-famous attraction in Guizhou. The Pingtang Bridge perfectly combines strength and beauty, harmoniously integrating people, the bridge itself, and the natural environment. It stands as a model masterpiece among canyon bridges worldwide.