On February 23, the demolition project of the Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge began cutting and dismantling; with the removal of the closure segment girder in the middle of the bridge, the bridge has been split into two.

 On February 23, after two days, the 100-ton closure segment of the Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge has been cut, hoisted, and transported to a dismantling yard for decomposition. "The removal of the closure segment is the critical step in the entire bridge demolition; next, the remaining bridge girders will be dismantled synchronously from the east and west sides, retreating backward." According to a responsible person from the 4A bid section project department of the second phase of the Zhongkai Expressway, the demolition of the Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge is expected to be completed by mid-May.

■ No work stoppage during Spring Festival; first segment demolished

To minimize the impact on surrounding residents, the Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge is being demolished using static demolition methods, cutting and removing blocks gradually from the middle to both sides. The first segment to be cut and demolished is the closure segment located in the middle of the bridge. At 9:30 yesterday morning, the truck crane on the deck of the Qi River Bridge was ready and slowly lifted a girder block of the closure segment weighing about 15 tons. At this point, a gap of about 1.4 meters appeared on the bridge deck, meaning the Qi River Bridge has been split into two, cut into east and west sections.

"Preparation for cutting the closure segment began on the 21st. We divided the closure segment weighing over 100 tons into 6 parts, first cutting and hoisting the lighter wing plates at both ends, and then focusing on the middle box girder." said Wang Pan, deputy chief engineer of the 4A bid section project department of the second phase of the Zhongkai Expressway. On the evening of the 22nd, the last girder block of the middle box girder was cut, and after waiting for prestress release and stabilization, it was hoisted and removed on the morning of the 23rd.

The Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge was closed on January 28, interrupting east-west traffic. What progress has been made in nearly a month? In response, Wang Pan said that after the closure of the Nanwaihuan Qi River Bridge, the construction unit removed ancillary facilities such as streetlights and railings on the bridge deck, and also dismantled the asphalt concrete pavement, central divider, and sidewalks to minimize the weight of the bridge. After the preparatory work was completed, the construction unit did not stop work during the Spring Festival and immediately started the bridge cutting and demolition work. The cutting and demolition of the closure segment have now been completed.

■ Pile foundation construction for the new bridge starts simultaneously

"The removal of the closure segment is the critical step in the entire bridge demolition; next, the remaining girders will be dismantled synchronously from the east and west sides, retreating backward." Wang Pan said that the east and west sides of the bridge will be cut and demolished at a rate of 1.5 meters per day, and the entire bridge is expected to be demolished by mid-May, after which construction of the new Qi River Bridge will begin.

At the demolition site, the reporter saw a pile driver working at the bottom of the Qi River Bridge; pile foundation construction for the new bridge is already underway simultaneously. According to the design plan, after the old bridge is demolished, a double-deck steel truss arch bridge will be rebuilt on the original site to meet the traffic needs of the upper-level Zhongkai Expressway and the lower-level Nanwaihuan Road. The new Qi River Bridge will cross the Qi River waterway, with a total length of about 1,340 meters and a main bridge length of 153 meters. The structure is a double-deck steel truss arch bridge, built to a two-way six-lane expressway standard with a design speed of 100 km/h.