Students cross the hanging bridge to get to school. (Photo/West China Metropolis Daily)
(ECNS) -- Authorities announced a reconstruction project for an unsafe hanging bridge used by students in Nanjiang county, Southwest China's Sichuan Province following public concern for security, the West China Metropolis Daily reports.
The bridge was built in the 1990s and poses a potential safety risk for about 3,000 locals who cross it daily, especially in winter when walking across the bridge is much like treading on thin ice, according to the newspaper.
"The bridge swings wildly if there are over ten people walking on it," said Yue Shangxue, a middle school teacher, adding, "Students must be accompanied by their teachers, especially during the summer flood season."
Schools in the county demanded that parents accompany their children to school and pick them up afterwards in order to ensure student safety; otherwise, they must be personally escorted by their teachers.
"To be honest, we parents are also afraid when crossing the bridge because it is too old to bear the weight of too many people walking on it at once," said Mr Liu, a father whose child crosses the bridge to go to school each day.
The county has included a reconstruction project in its infrastructure scheme. A new bridge for vehicles will also be built, but the specific timeframe for the project has not been decided yet.
"The hanging bridge is indeed dangerous. We will try to fix this problem as soon as possible," local authorities said.
"We will also take other measures, for example, scheduling different school dismissal times and assigning teachers to accompany students," it was added.
