Bãi Cháy Bridge

The Bãi Cháy Bridge (Vietnamese: Cầu Bãi Cháy) is a cable-stayed bridge on Highway 18, connecting Hồng Gai with Bãi Cháy over the Cửa Lục Straits, separating Cửa Lục Bay with Hạ Long Bay, the territory of Quảng Ninh Province, Vietnam. Bãi Cháy Bridge was the first central-line cable-stayed bridge in Vietnam. At the time of its inauguration, it set a record as the longest central-line span of cable-stayed bridge.

Bai Chay Bridge Cầu Bãi Cháy
Bai Chay Bridge's main span
Coordinates	20°57′37″N 107°03′57″E
Carries	4 lanes (cable-stayed section) and 6 lanes (other sections), 2 lanes each way and 2 pedestrian lanes
Crosses	Hạ Long Bay
Locale	Quảng Ninh Province,
Maintained by	Ministry of Transport of Vietnam
Characteristics
Design	Cable-stayed bridge
Total length	1,106 meters (3,629 ft)
Width	25 meters (82 ft)
Height	150 meters (490 ft)
Longest span	435 meters (1,427 ft)
Clearance below	50 meters (160 ft)
History
Constructed by	Shimizu Sumitomo Mitsui Construction
Construction start	May 18, 2003
Opened	December 2, 2006
Location

Design

The bridge has two outer span of reinforced pre-stressed concrete box beams which are the widest of the world for this type of bridge. The towers are located on a huge pneumatic caisson foundation system, a modern construction technology first applied in Vietnam on this project. The bridge was constructed using a balanced cantilever technology, wherein the bridge beams reaching out over the water and the aligned ends connect at a head height of 50 metres (160 ft) above the water level. This technique assured that vessels could still operate normally during the construction process.

The work was completed and opened to traffic on December 2, 2006. Bãi Cháy Bridge was built to address the needs of the people of Quảng Ninh, tourists inside and outside Vietnam, and also to end decades of operation of the Bãi Cháy ferry.

Technical details

• Spans: 5 spans, main span of 435 meters (1,427 ft)
• Navigable width: 150 meters (490 ft)
• Load: Class A standard Japanese
• Cost: about VND 1046 billions, 40-month construction period, to November 30, 2006 termination
• Owner: Ministry of Transport, representing the owner: Project Management Unit 18-PMU18
• Design consultant - Monitor: Institute of bridges and structures in Japan
• Construction Contractor: Shimizu-Sumitomo Mitsui Construction

Gallery

• 
  Bãi Cháy Bridge view from afar
• 
  The bridge during construction
• 
  Bãi Cháy Bridge at night

See also

• List of longest cable-stayed bridge spans
• Transport in Vietnam
• List of bridges

References