At 2:30 pm on April 29, the crucial girder replacement operation was successfully completed for the Harbin West Bridge upgrade project, a critical component of the infrastructure upgrades for the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
 
After two hours of meticulous lifting operations and coordinated efforts by 40 on-site technicians, the 32.94-meter-long, 218.4-metric-ton left steel box girder was precisely positioned along the design axis.
 
The Harbin West Bridge, constructed in 1989, serves as a vital municipal overpass for the Harbin-Suifenhe Railway, featuring a three-tier structure: above, the roadway is the oldest east-west arterial route in Harbin, known as "Xidazhi Avenue"; below, the historic east line of the Harbin-Suifenhe Railway has been in operation for over 120 years; subsequently, the first segment of the Harbin Metro Line 1 passes beneath the bridge.
   
He Ruiping, the chief designer of the Harbin West Bridge upgrade project, emphasized that the original design of the bridge no longer meets modern bridge construction standards and specifications.
 
By referencing bridge design standards and data from 1985, the design team employed new standards and techniques to replace the old girders swiftly, minimizing construction impact on railways and traffic.
 
This serves as a practical model for the transformation of old railway bridges intersecting major urban roads in China's megacities with millions of inhabitants.
 
The bridge is expected to be ready for traffic by mid-May, significantly increasing the traffic capacity of the central urban arteries. This development will provide enhanced travel conditions for the upcoming Harbin International Economic and Trade Fair and the 2025 Asian Winter Games.
   
The upgrading of the Harbin West Bridge upgrade project is underway. [Photo provided to e.my399.com]