Screenshot of a video circulating online

　　On the morning of April 16, the reporter contacted the Changshou District Transportation Bureau of Chongqing Municipality. A staff member said that according to what they had learned, a protective shed was blown down by strong winds during bridge maintenance work. Traffic is currently interrupted and emergency repairs are underway. So far no casualties have been reported, and an official notice will follow with further details.

　　A staff member of the bureau told the reporter that the Changshou Yangtze River Bridge has recently been undergoing reinforcement work, with only half of the roadway open to traffic. Because construction was being carried out on the bridge, a protective shed was temporarily erected to ensure the safe passage of vehicles. The structure that collapsed on the morning of April 16 was this temporary protective shed, and Changshou District experienced strong winds and rain that day.

　　According to public information, the Changshou Yangtze River Bridge officially opened to traffic on March 30, 2009. The bridge is 1,160 meters long, has four lanes in both directions, and is 20.5 meters wide. It is the first cross-river bridge in Changshou. Its completion and opening meant that all districts and counties along the Yangtze River in Chongqing Municipality had a Yangtze River bridge.

　　On the Chongqing Online Political Inquiry Platform, a member of the public asked in January this year about the maintenance work on the Changshou Yangtze River Bridge: the construction period originally announced was from September 6, 2023 to December 26, 2023, but work was still ongoing as of January 5, 2024. The bridge is currently operating with two-way traffic on half of its width, causing traffic jams every day during commuting hours, and the public hoped the construction could be accelerated and a completion date confirmed. The Changshou District Transportation Bureau later replied that the G243 Changshou Yangtze River Bridge reconstruction project in Changshou District officially began construction in September 2023, with the main work being the replacement of stay cables; the contract provides for the replacement of 35 stay cables in total. To ensure the stability and balance of the entire bridge, and because of the high technical difficulty and complexity of the work, the construction period has been extended. The bureau has ordered the construction unit to make serious efforts to manage and direct traffic on the Changshou Yangtze River Bridge, arrange dedicated personnel to direct traffic on site, and proceed with construction as quickly as possible to shorten the schedule and open the entire bridge to traffic as soon as possible.