Youshui Bridge Wins "Oscar" of Structural Engineering

The 2023 results of the Structural Awards were made public in London on November 11. Youshui Bridge in Furong Town, a part of the Zhangjiajie-Jishou-Huaihua High-speed Railway in Hunan Province, was awarded the honor.

The Structural Awards was initiated by the Institution of Structural Engineers of the UK. Known as the "Oscar" in the structural engineering circle, it aims to honor the creative, aesthetic, sustainable and valuable structural designs of infrastructures and architectures around the world.  Past winners include iconic structures such as the Sydney Opera House and the Pompidou Centre and the Severn Bridge.

The 462-meter-long Youshui Bridge in Fenghuang Town holds two world records: the world's longest-span asymmetric arch bridge featuring a deck-type concrete-filled steel tube (CFST) arch structure, spanning 292 meters across the Youshui River valley; and, the world's first large-span double-limb arch bridge with trussed-type CFST arch rib. 

The Youshui Bridge spans across the U-shaped Youshui River Valley with steep mountains on both banks. The arch springings are strategically positioned alongside the existing road, minimizing the need for extensive deconstruction of mountains and vegetation. This innovative design approach not only maximizes the utilization of the available road but also enhances the pristine beauty of the surroundings - green mountains, lucid water, an old town, and the new bridge.