Danjiangkou Reservoir Bridge, China: a new record for earth-anchored cable-stayed bridges

Danjiangkou Reservoir Bridge, the world’s longest earth-anchored composite cable-stayed bridge, connects the highway networks of Hubei and Henan provinces in China. With a main span of 760 m, the 2022 structure is also the first of its kind to use a non-axial-force connection at mid-span and a steel and ultra-high performance concrete lightweight composite construction for the main-span girder. This paper describes the configuration of the non-axial-force connection, the arrangement of the composite girder and a new steel–concrete deck joint. It also explains how construction challenges were innovatively resolved by new closure and segmental precast erection methods.