China: construction begins in world’s largest road/rail bridge
Work has started on a US£781 million bridge across the Yangtze River in Hubei province, Central China. 
Realisation of the Yichang Dongyan Road Yangtze River Highway-Rail Bridge, Hubei Province, China. Credit: CRG
The Yichang Dongyan Road Yangtze River Highway-Rail Bridge is a super project that was designed by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Institute and is being constructed by China Railway Major Bridge Engineering Group. 
The bridge design is steel truss and cable-stayed. Credit: CRG
The 1563m bridge passes through the Chinese Sturgeon Nature Reserve, and has features that minimise the impact on the river habitat. The design is a steel truss cable-stayed bridge and it has an 800m main span. It has a railway on the upper level and a highway on the lower.
The deck is UHPC, which the designers hope will extend the service life of the bridge.
The project has some complex working conditions, and the designers have developed technologies to overcome these, including a separated steel truss connection system.
The bridge is an important crossing in China's national eight vertical and eight horizontal high-speed railway network.