The Jiujiang Bridge had no structural defects before it
collapsed after being rammed by a boat over-laden with sand,
according to an initial safety study released yesterday.
The 1,600-m bridge, which spans the Xijiang River, a major
tributary of the Pearl River in South China, collapsed on Friday
morning.
Four vehicles fell into the river and nine people were
missing.
"The Jiujiang Bridge was built according to strict safety
standards," Chen Guanxiong, deputy director of the Guangdong
provincial communications department, told a press conference
yesterday.
The bridge was built early in 1988, with its piers designed to
withstand an impact of 1,200 tons and its arches 40 tons, all
exceeding the safety standard, Chen said.
According to Yao Lingsen, a bridge expert with Tongji
University, the impact of the crash must have exceeded the piers'
capabilities.
He urged related departments to further examine the bridge
before it is repaired in the second half of this year.
Local communications authorities said the damaged part of the
bridge would be repaired, rather than being completely
demolished.
Guangdong has started a campaign to inspect all bridges, Chen
said.
"Maintenance work on bridges will begin after the overall safety
assessment.
"We will closely monitor overloaded vehicles using bridges and
the illegal mining of sand at riverbeds," Chen said.
(China Daily June 21, 2007)