Maogang Bridge to be replaced

The aging Maogang Bridge in Songjiang District is being replaced by a younger model.

According to Shanghai's Municipal Investment Corporation, the major contractor of the construction, a new 1,385-meter-long bridge will be built north of the existing one.

The new bridge has been designed with a dual, six-lane carriageway and pedestrian access on each side.

The existing Maogang Bridge stretches over Pingshen shipping channel, which connects Zhejiang Province and Shanghai.

At 392 meters long and built in 1982, the bridge was once the longest concrete cable-stayed bridge in China. But after 36 years of service, the old bridge is falling short when it comes to growing traffic demands.

Construction of the new bridge will take about four years, at which time the old one will be demolished.