Bridges signal infrastructure improvements in Tibet
- By Zhang Liying
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E-mail China.org.cn, March 25, 2019
Three bridges now stand over the Yi'ong Tsangpo River in Pome, a county in the southeastern part of China's Tibet Autonomous Region.
The bridges, sitting side by side above the rapid flow below, hail the development of Tibet's transport networks and the removal of the "Tangmai Natural Barrier."
The "Tangmai Natural Barrier" refers to 14 kilometers of road from Tangmai Town to Pelung Village. Located in an area prone to various geological disasters, including landslides, mudslides and mudflows, the road has long been considered the most dangerous part of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway.
In the 1950s, a cement bridge was built over the Yi'ong Tsangpo River, serving as a crucial juncture on the road. However, as the climate increasingly warmed, melting glaciers have resulted in a greater number of disasters along the road. In March 2000, a massive landslide hit the area, destroying the bridge.
In the aftermath of the disaster, a steel bridge was built to ensure the normal operation of the Sichuan-Tibet Highway, said Wang Faming, an armed police officer responsible for the road maintenance, in an interview on Thursday.
Pointing to the narrowest bridge, Wang said that it was built to transport building materials during the construction of the steel bridge.
The single-lane steel bridge had a loading limit of 20 tons or less. And it was not strong enough to withstand disasters due to poor drainage and embankment protection systems.
To thoroughly solve the problem of the so-called "throat of the highway," China initiated a project to build two bridges and five tunnels on the road at the end of 2012.
As the centerpiece of the project, the 380-meter long Tangmai Grand Bridge opened to traffic in 2016. It was designed to bear over 400 tons and be operational for 100 years.
Wang, who has spent 19 years maintaining the road, said that before the completion of the bridge, the "Tangmai Natural Barrier" saw numerous mishaps, such as car pile-ups, traffic jams and even vehicles plunging into the abyss.
"Sometimes traffic jams could last for a dozen hours or even several days," he continued. "So, my previous duties included stopping overloaded vehicles, easing traffic jams, and rescuing drivers and passengers."
Wang said that since the project was completed, no major traffic jam or accident had occurred, and generally he just needs to conduct routine inspection and maintenance.
"The 'Tangmai Natural Barrier' has become history, and now this section should be called 'Tangmai thoroughfare," he said.
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