Lupu Bridge, Steel arch bridge in Shanghai, China
The Lupu Bridge is a steel arch bridge crossing the Huangpu River in Shanghai, connecting two major city districts on either side. The structure stretches approximately 3900 meters in length and uses a distinctive arched design as its primary support system.
The bridge was completed in 2003 and held the title of world's longest arch bridge at that time. It maintained this record for several years before another bridge took the top position, yet it remained vital to city transportation.
The name Lupu abbreviates the two districts it links: Luwan on the north bank, merged into Huangpu in 2011, and Pudong to the south. It follows the pattern of the earlier Nanpu, Yangpu and Xupu bridges, each named from the districts at its ends. The bridge formed the western boundary of the Expo 2010 site.
The bridge carries six lanes of the North–South Elevated Road, three in each direction. The sightseeing attraction known as Shanghai Climb, which used a high-speed elevator and 367 steps up the arch, has been closed since 2016, so the structure is seen from the riverbanks or from boats on the Huangpu. The nearest operating metro stop to the Puxi base is Luban Road Station on Line 4.
The bridge's arch was joined on 7 October 2002, after construction began in October 2000 using a cantilever method with temporary cable-stays; more than 35,000 tonnes of steel went into the structure. At its 2003 opening it surpassed the New River Gorge Bridge by 32 metres of main span.
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