As a city with an increasing number of bridges and tunnels, Wuhan in Hubei Province has brought bridge and tunnel management into the legal framework. Not long ago, the newly revised 'Wuhan Urban Bridge and Tunnel Safety Management Regulations' was approved at the 28th session of the Standing Committee of the 12th Hubei Provincial People's Congress and will come into effect on August 1.
　　At present, more than 600 bridges and tunnels have been built in Wuhan's urbanized area, including cross-river bridges, cross-river bridges, viaducts, pedestrian overpasses, culverts, tunnels, and underpasses.
　　In the coming years, Wuhan will also build several large cross-river and cross-river bridges and tunnel facilities, such as the Yangsigang Yangtze River Bridge, Jianghan No. 7 Bridge, and Sanyang Road road-rail combined river-crossing tunnel, as well as more than 100 three-dimensional street-crossing facilities.
　　As the frequency of use and operational pressure of bridges and tunnels increase day by day, related safety issues have become increasingly prominent.
　　“The number of urban vehicles continues to increase. It is estimated that about 50,000 vehicles pass through the First Yangtze River Bridge every day. Since 2007, there have been more than 40 major accidents caused by bridge maintenance problems. The implementation of supervision regulations for bridges and tunnels in all aspects is urgent.” said the relevant person in charge of the Standing Committee of the Wuhan Municipal People's Congress.
　　To this end, the regulations stipulate that vehicles violating height or weight limit regulations when passing through urban bridges and tunnels shall be handled by the urban management department according to regulations: those entering the warning area shall be ordered to leave or unload before passing; those entering the height-restricted area shall be ordered to leave and may be fined between 2,000 and 20,000 yuan; those entering the weight-restricted area shall be ordered to stop, and may pass after unloading.
　　At the same time, the regulations also stipulate that for overweight within 10%, a fine of 500 to 2,000 yuan shall be imposed; for overweight between 10% and 50%, a fine of 2,000 to 10,000 yuan; for overweight over 50%, a fine of 10,000 to 20,000 yuan; if damage is caused, compensation liability shall be borne according to law.
　　For unauthorized excavation, drilling, pile foundation construction, and other operations that may affect the safety of bridges and tunnels, if the circumstances are serious, a maximum fine of 100,000 yuan may be imposed.
　　Unauthorized construction under bridges has become an important factor affecting bridge safety. In this regard, the regulations strictly limit the use of space under bridges, stipulating that it is not allowed to occupy or enclose the space under bridges without authorization or change the use of the space under bridges. Without affecting bridge safety, flood discharge safety, road smoothness, ship navigation safety, and urban landscape, upon approval by the municipal and district urban management departments and consent of the government at the same level, the space under bridges may be used for public welfare purposes, but no fees may be charged.
　　The regulations also specifically stipulate that the design of urban bridges and tunnels should fully consider the needs of pedestrians and non-motorized vehicles.