Midi bridge, Road arch bridge over the Jinsha River in Panzhihua, China

The Midi bridge spans the Jinsha River in Panzhihua, linking Midi on the north bank with Bingcaogang on the south. Two bridges stand side by side: the old Midi bridge, a 284.52 m steel truss arch with a 181 m main span, and the newer bridge about 26 m downstream, 296 m long and 30 m wide, formed of two parallel box-arch spans.

The old Midi Bridge, numbered 3003, was built from September 1966 and opened on 1 May 1969, designed by the Second Highway Survey and Design Institute. A new bridge was approved in July 2008 as post-earthquake reconstruction; its upstream half opened on 28 September 2011 and the downstream half on 2 February 2013. The old bridge closed to all traffic on 10 January 2014.

The Midi bridge connects neighborhoods with commercial and industrial areas, making it part of daily routines in Panzhihua. It reflects how the city has organized itself around river crossings and the role these structures play in urban life.

The old Midi bridge, closed to all traffic since 10 January 2014, can no longer be crossed; pedestrians and vehicles now use the new bridge about 26 metres downstream, whose two parallel decks carry four lanes plus walkways. The old bridge's walkways were very narrow, one person wide, and the upstream one was added only after 2008. Look for the height-limit bars installed in 2008 at 1.75 metres.

The bridge was built using cantilever casting techniques where large concrete sections were prefabricated and then assembled on site. Engineers employed real-time monitoring systems to track stresses and movements continuously throughout construction.