How many bridges do you think Shanghai has? There are thirteen bridges crossing the Huangpu River and its tributaries. We are standing before one of them: Songpu 3rd Bridge.
The Songpu 3rd Bridge is located in Songjiang District. The bridge connects Chedun Town and Yexie Town. This bridge is an integral part of Songwei Highway. Songpu 3rd Bridge is a crucial transportation hub. It links Songjiang District and Jinshan District.
The first bridge over the Huangpu River’s Songjiang stretch was Songpu Bridge. Before that, there were no bridges over the river. On June 29, 1976 more than 300 floats passed the bridge. It took over three hours.
The State Council approved a plan to build in Jinshan District in June 1972. Jinshan is south of the river. A bridge combining a highway and a railway became a necessity.
The first concrete tubular pile was erected at Songjiang’s Desheng Harbor on July 26, 1974. It was then called the Huangpu River Bridge. The lower railway bridge and the upper highway bridge were completed in succession over the following two years. The project took less than two years.
Performing artists arrived for the bridge’s opening ceremony on June 29, 1976. They came from downtown Shanghai and 10 suburban counties. The petrochemical company began its trial operation in 1977. By July 1981 it surpassed its Phase One total investment. It was two years ahead of schedule.
The bridge was temporarily renamed the Cheting Bridge from 1989 to 1995. Later it changed its name to Songpu Bridge. This was to share the same syllable with subsequent river crossings. Examples are the Nanpu, Yangpu and other bridges in other districts.
The Songpu Bridge’s railway deck opened to traffic on September 11, 1975. It connected with the Jinshan Railway branch line. Armed police officers guarded it.
A new Jinshan Railway branch line started trial operations in September 2012. The bridge’s railway deck became redundant. It connected with the old branch line.
Vast farmland with a scarce population surrounded the bridge. The winter temperature was about 4 or 5 degrees Celsius lower than downtown Shanghai. The railroad structure absorbed a huge amount of heat in summer. It had an extremely high surface temperature.
An overall renovation of the Songpu Bridge began on June 30, 2017. It improved its waterway transport capacity. It also improved its landscape function, environment function and seismic resistance capacity. The upper vehicular deck of Songpu Bridge reopened to traffic on August 29, 2020.
There are other bridges across the Huangpu River or its tributaries. They are the Nansan Bridge, Maogang Bridge and No. 2 Songpu Bridge. There is also the Hengliaojing Bridge.
Visitors can see two huge curves stretching across the Huangpu River’s upper reaches. They are the No. 2 and No. 3 Songpu bridges. No. 2 Songpu Bridge was completed in December 2005. It opened to traffic in January 2006. No. 3 Songpu Bridge opened to traffic in June 2010. It is an important traffic access point. It connects Songjiang and Jinshan District.
With double-cable towers holding steel cables is the Hengliaojing Bridge. It opened to traffic on December 30, 2015. It is the river’s first all-concrete cable-stayed bridge.
The Songpu 3rd Bridge stands as a testament to Shanghai’s growth. It symbolizes the city’s commitment to connectivity.