Making way for bridge
Some residents living in old houses along Changping Road started to move out earlier this month to make way for a new bridge crossing Suzhou Creek.
The district government said the bridge has multiple benefits. For residents moving to new apartment blocks, it will mean an end to cramped living conditions and shared kitchens and toilets. For local residents, it will mean shortened travel time across the creek.
On August 1, the first 10 families boarded trucks loaded with their fur - niture and belongings and set off for new homes in Minhang, Songjiang and Jiading districts.
Under the plan, 541 families will be relocated and 18,000 square meters of old housing demolished.
So far, more than 99 percent of residents have agreed to relocation plans, according to Zhou Pengfei, an official of the Jiangning Road Community.
One of them is Liu Xiaojiu, 82.
He is leaving a 9.8-square-meter room, without toilet or kitchen. He was happy to leave his current quarters but reluctant to move far away. So he decided to accept compensation and relocation fees instead of a new apartment in the suburbs.
With the help of community officials, he bought a 38-square-meter unit in a 20-year-old building not far away.
“It’s about three times larger than my old unit, and I have my own kitchen and bathroom,” he said.
Construction of the 853-meter bridge will begin after demolition work is completed. The span will link Changping and Hengtong roads.