Recently, the design plan for the Zhuankou Yangtze River Highway Bridge—Wuhan's ninth Yangtze River bridge—was approved by the Ministry of Transport. With this, the approval process at the national ministry level has essentially concluded, and the project has entered the construction drawing design and land use approval stages. It will officially break ground in September.

　　According to reports, this is the ninth Yangtze River bridge to be built in Wuhan, long known as the "City of Bridges in China." The project has an estimated budget of 5.225 billion yuan and a construction period of four years. The main bridge structure is a five-span, single-unit, twin-tower, twin-cable-plane steel box girder cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 760 meters. The entire line will be built to an eight-lane expressway standard, with a design speed of 100 kilometers per hour, using the Class I highway design standard. The bridge deck is 46 meters wide, making it the widest bridge over the Yangtze River.

　　The bridge is located between the Baishazhou Yangtze River Bridge and the Junshan Yangtze River Bridge. According to the approval, the bridge starts at Xujiabao in Zhuankou, connecting to the western section of Wuhan's Fourth Ring Road and the already-open Wuhan–Honghu Expressway, with an interchange at the Hanhong Expressway in the Wuhan Economic and Technological Development Zone. It crosses the Yangtze River through Qingling Township in Hongshan District, with an interchange at the Qingzheng Expressway in Jiangxia District, and ends at Gongjiapu, connecting to the southern section of the Fourth Ring Road and the already-open Qingling–Zhengdian Expressway. The total length is 8.583 kilometers, including a 5.296-kilometer Yangtze River bridge and 3.287 kilometers of approach roads on both banks.

　　The Zhuankou Yangtze River Bridge project is being built by a consortium led by CCCC Investment Company under the China Communications Construction Group. As part of the Fourth Ring Road, the bridge will charge tolls according to Hubei Province expressway toll standards once completed.

　　　The "Mosts" of Wuhan's Yangtze River Bridges

　　Widest bridge: Zhuankou Yangtze River Bridge, 46 meters wide

　　Oldest bridge in service: First Yangtze River Bridge, opened in 1957

　　First cable-stayed bridge: Second Yangtze River Bridge

　　Longest bridge: Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, with a main bridge length of 4,657 meters

　　Highest load-bearing capacity: Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, a road-rail bridge capable of carrying 20,000 tons

　　Longest span: Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge, crossing the river in a single span with a main span of 1,700 meters

　　Seven Yangtze River Bridges Completed, One Under Construction, Three in Planning

　　Currently, Wuhan has completed seven bridges across the Yangtze River: the First Yangtze River Bridge, the Second Yangtze River Bridge, the Baishazhou Yangtze River Bridge, the Junshan Yangtze River Bridge, the Yangluo Yangtze River Bridge, the Tianxingzhou Yangtze River Bridge, and the Erqi Yangtze River Bridge.

　　One bridge is under construction: the Yingwuzhou Yangtze River Bridge (to open by the end of the year).

　　Three bridges are in planning: the Zhuankou Yangtze River Bridge, the Qingshan Yangtze River Bridge, and the Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge.

　　The design plan for the Wuhan Zhuankou Yangtze River Highway Bridge was recently approved by the Ministry of Transport. The project has entered the construction drawing design and land use approval stages and is expected to officially break ground in September this year.