Da Nang's Unique Han River Bridges

Da Nang is famously known as the 'City of Bridges,' a moniker it truly earns. This isn't just because of the impressive number of bridges that gracefully span the Han River, but also, and perhaps more so, due to the truly unique and distinctive architectural design of each individual structure.
The Han River originates at the confluence of the Cẩm Lệ and Vĩnh Điện rivers, flowing between Cẩm Lệ, Hải Châu, and Ngũ Hành Sơn districts before emptying into Da Nang Bay near the entrance to Thọ Quang Port. Although only about 7.7 km long, the Han River is spanned by six impressive bridges.
These bridges are not only vital for transportation but also stand as architectural highlights of the city, boasting unique features rarely found elsewhere in Vietnam.
Thuận Phước Bridge began construction on January 16, 2003, with an investment of nearly 1,000 billion VND from the state budget. As Vietnam's longest cable-stayed bridge, Thuận Phước connects Da Nang's two coastal roads, Nguyễn Tất Thành and Hoàng Sa - Trường Sa. The bridge holds a special location where the Han River meets the sea.

Thuận Phước Bridge measures 1,856m long and 18m wide, featuring two towers approximately 80m high from the pile cap, and three cable-stayed spans totaling 655m. It stands as Vietnam's longest and most distinctive cable-stayed bridge.
Due to its special location and the complex geological conditions of the river mouth, the construction of the bridge's foundations and piers, especially the foundations for the two main towers, faced significant challenges. Its impressive height and proximity to the sea also meant that strong winds impacted the construction progress. The bridge was inaugurated in 2009 after six years of development.
Han River Bridge is one of the first bridges to span the Han River, connecting Da Nang's two main arteries: Lê Duẩn Street on the west bank and Phạm Văn Đồng Street on the east. The bridge is 487.7m long and 12.9m wide, with 11 spans, each 33m long, featuring a prestressed reinforced concrete structure. It also includes two cable-stayed spans with a total length of 122.7m, where the main girders and towers are steel, and the deck is reinforced concrete.

What makes the Han River Bridge truly special is that it was the first swing bridge in Vietnam to be entirely designed and constructed by Vietnamese engineers and workers. The bridge can rotate its middle span 90 degrees, opening two waterways for ships to pass through. This rotation typically occurs around midnight. Construction of the Han River Bridge began on September 2, 1998, and it was completed on March 29, 2000. Its opening put an end to the "ferry dependence" for residents on both sides of the Han River, significantly enhancing transportation infrastructure and boosting economic and social development on the eastern bank.
Dragon Bridge is the sixth bridge to cross the Han River. It is 666m long and 37.5m wide, accommodating six lanes of traffic. Construction began on July 19, 2009, and the bridge was opened to traffic on March 29, 2013, with a total construction cost of nearly 1,500 billion VND.

Dragon Bridge is designed with two separate traffic flows, each with six lanes. It connects Võ Văn Kiệt Street (Sơn Trà District) across the Han River to the Bạch Đằng Nguyễn Văn Linh intersection (Hải Châu District), effectively shortening the distance from Da Nang International Airport towards Sơn Trà District.
A striking golden steel dragon, facing the East Sea, is incorporated into the bridge's central median. This dragon is specially designed to breathe fire and spray water, offering a spectacular show for tourists on weekend nights, holidays, and Tet (Lunar New Year).
Not far from here are two parallel bridges connecting Hải Châu District and Ngũ Hành Sơn District: Trần Thị Lý Bridge and Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge.
Trần Thị Lý Bridge was originally a railway bridge. During the French colonial period, it was called De Lattre de Tassigny, later renamed Trịnh Minh Thế Bridge, and is located about 20m upstream from Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge. After 1975, it was named Trần Thị Lý Bridge and upgraded into a road bridge. Along with Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge, it serves as a vital commercial link, connecting the two banks of the Han River.

The bridge deck is 35.5m wide, featuring six vehicle lanes (each 3.75m wide) and two pedestrian lanes (each 3m wide) with protective railings. A unique aspect of Trần Thị Lý Bridge's structural design is its single pylon, inclined at 12 degrees. Unlike conventional cable-stayed bridges with rigid underground foundations, this pylon is rigidly connected to the bridge deck and rests on pier S5 via a spherical bridge bearing with a load capacity of up to 25,000 tons – currently the largest in the world.
Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge is the very first bridge to cross the Han River, put into use in 1965. In 2015, its control system for lifting the bridge span was renovated, installed, and the technology for controlling and monitoring the lift span for navigation was transferred. Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge no longer serves its original traffic function; instead, it has become a unique tourist attraction in Da Nang.

Nguyễn Văn Trỗi Bridge's middle span will now lift and lower once a day on Saturdays, Sundays, and during holidays from 4 PM to 6 PM, offering a captivating experience for locals and tourists alike. According to technical specifications, there are four lifting jacks, each with a lifting capacity of 100 tons, operating at a speed of 0.233m per minute. The lifting journey reaches a height of 3.6m, with the lifted navigation span measuring 36.45m in length.
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Update day : 04/09/2023
Source : baogiaothong.vn Affiliate links
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