Semipalatinsk Bridge, Suspension bridge in Semey, Kazakhstan.
The Semey Bridge is a road suspension bridge over the Irtysh in Semey, with a main span of 750 m and a total length of 1086 m. Its deck carries six traffic lanes between tall towers, with two main cables curving down toward midspan and thin vertical suspender lines holding the roadway. The steel structure was proposed by Japan's IHI Corporation.
Construction began in 1998 and finished ahead of schedule, with the official opening in October 2000. The project received engineering expertise from outside the country.
Locals call it the "New Bridge" to tell it apart from the older crossing built in the city centre in the 1960s. Its deck was laid with natural asphalt brought from a lake in Trinidad, according to accounts of the construction. About 90 percent of the workers who built it were local residents.
The roadway uses a special paving material designed to withstand heavy traffic. Pedestrians and cyclists should stay in marked areas and be aware of vehicle movement.
Among Kazakhstan's bridges, only this one has a gap of more than 300 metres between its supports, with a main span of 750 metres. The Japanese company IHI Corporation proposed the design, and the steel structures were made in Japan, shipped by water and then by rail to Semey.
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