Closure of steel arch bridge in Shanghai

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 ◆ Closure of steel arch bridge in Shanghai

The two sections of the Lupu Bridge being built over the Huangpu River, which runs across this east China metropolis, were connected recently, making it the fourth bridge across the river in Shanghai.

The bridge's 550-meter span is the longest among steel arch bridges in the world. The main section of the 3,900-meter-long bridge is 750 meters in length and 28.7 meters in width with six lanes.

The huge bridge will cost 2.25 billion yuan (272 million US dollars) funded by six Chinese companies.

Construction of the bridge began in October 2000 and 35,000 tons of steel will be used in the project. The bridge is expected to be operational in the first half of 2003.