Shiziyang Passage Marks Milestone as Record Double-Deck Truss Bridge Closes

The Shiziyang Passage, a major expressway undertaking across the Pearl River estuary, marked a construction milestone in September 2026 with the closure of a double-deck steel truss girder bridge across the Xiqiao Waterway. According to reports from China News Service, the structure represents the Chinese mainland's largest single-span double-deck steel truss girder bridge to date. Built using modular construction techniques, the bridge span was completed through the precision assembly of 11 massive prefabricated steel sections.

The closure of the bridge across the Xiqiao Waterway represents a critical engineering breakthrough for the broader Shiziyang Passage project. Once operational, the corridor is designed to create a closed-loop expressway network connecting the eastern and western banks of the Pearl River estuary, alleviating systemic transport bottlenecks and enhancing regional economic integration across Guangdong province.

Construction on the Shiziyang Passage reached a notable operational milestone following the successful structural closure of a key double-deck steel truss bridge across the Xiqiao Waterway, according to reports published by China News Service. The newly closed crossing represents the largest single-span double-deck steel truss girder bridge constructed in the Chinese mainland, domestic state media reported. The project deployed modular assembly techniques, hoisting and securing 11 oversized prefabricated steel structural blocks into place to achieve closure across the waterway. The bridge forms a central component of the broader Shiziyang Passage development, an expansive expressway undertaking designed to bolster multi-tier transit connectivity in southern China. Situated in the Pearl River Delta, the corridor is engineered to absorb growing commercial logistics volumes and commuter transit demand between manufacturing clusters situated on opposite sides of the estuary. Modular construction methods—often likened by engineers to assembling giant interlocking building blocks—have become a standard operational practice across Chinese transportation megaprojects. By prefabricating expansive truss sections in off-site yards before barging and lifting them into place, construction teams aim to compress on-site installation schedules, minimize disruption to active inland waterways, and maintain rigorous tolerance controls over high-grade structural steel joints. With the steel truss span successfully joined, engineering teams are expected to advance subsequent installation phases, including bridge deck surfacing, auxiliary structural works, and integration with connecting inland approach routes. The overall Shiziyang Passage project operates alongside several existing and planned mega-corridors spanning the Pearl River estuary, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. Provincial planners view the passage as an essential artery to prevent congestion on established river crossings and ensure redundant freight capacity across the Greater Bay Area.