New songhua river bridge: A continuous girder, tied arch, hybrid bridge with four rail tracks in Harbin, China

The new Songhua River Bridge, a significant project that forms part of the Harbin-Qiqihar high-speed railway line, is a continuous girder, tied hybrid arch bridge with five spans. Built as a replacement to the old bridge, the new bridge spanning the Songhua River forms a beautiful landscape with its fashionable appearance. Servicing four rail tracks, three arch ribs were used to share the train load with the continuous girder. Cast-in-place cantilever method was applied in the main girder construction, and the arch ribs were installed after the main girder had been completed. Several highlighted features of this bridge including the multiple arch ribs, variable height box girder and the hanger are discussed in this paper. Meanwhile, the unique design features such as the mechanical system, structural performance, beam-arch joint design details and the construction procedures are investigated as well. The hybrid system of continuous girder and tied arch has demonstrated its suitability for providing underneath clearance and improving the stiffness of the railway bridge.