(ECNS) -- The third Pingnan Bridge opened to traffic Monday.
With a main span of 575 meters, this 1,035-meter-long bridge has consumed 15,000 tons of iron.
Engineers designed an abutment built on a pebble layer, with about five millimeters of submergence observed until now.
It has surpassed the span of Chaotianmen Bridge, resetting the world record.
"The cost of an arch bridge is 100 million yuan less than a suspension bridge or 40 million yuan less than a cable-stayed bridge of the same length. Yet, it is more durable and costs less in maintenance," said Zheng Jilian, a professor of Guangxi University, and an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering.
