Project: Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge
Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge Project – Shandong, China
A critical dual-level railway–highway crossing over the Yellow River, where HiTens tools ensured precision and safety for China’s largest-span flat truss bridge.
Project Overview
The Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge is a key engineering project on the Liaotai Railway, forming a critical river crossing in central Shandong Province. It integrates both highway and railway traffic within a two-tier structural design, with an upper deck of four-lane expressway and a lower deck of single-track railway.
Construction officially commenced in February 2022, with the steel truss closure completed in October 2023, and the bridge fully opened to traffic on March 26, 2024. Spanning 13.452 kilometers, with a main bridge span of 180 meters, it is the largest-span flat truss road–rail bridge in China, with a total investment of approximately 1.906 billion CNY. The bridge significantly reduces travel time between Liaocheng, Jinan, and Tai’an, enhancing connectivity within the Jinan metropolitan transport network.
Project Overview
The Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge is a key engineering project on the Liaotai Railway, forming a critical river crossing in central Shandong Province. It integrates both highway and railway traffic within a two-tier structural design, with an upper deck of four-lane expressway and a lower deck of single-track railway.
Construction officially commenced in February 2022, with the steel truss closure completed in October 2023, and the bridge fully opened to traffic on March 26, 2024. Spanning 13.452 kilometers, with a main bridge span of 180 meters, it is the largest-span flat truss road–rail bridge in China, with a total investment of approximately 1.906 billion CNY. The bridge significantly reduces travel time between Liaocheng, Jinan, and Tai’an, enhancing connectivity within the Jinan metropolitan transport network.
Structural Design
The bridge consists of five continuous steel truss spans, creating an efficient dual-level traffic system:
Upper deck: 24-meter-wide asphalt concrete roadway accommodating four lanes of highway traffic.
Lower deck: 11.4-meter-wide railway deck for a single-track line.
Main bridge trusses: Total weight of 14,700 tons, with the maximum launching span of 180 meters.
During construction, engineers faced the challenge of working 40–50 meters above the Yellow River floodplain, where wind interference and high-altitude operations complicated steel truss erection.
The upper and lower decks are supported by orthotropic steel deck systems, with the highway deck incorporating large longitudinal and transverse beams, while the railway deck employs a multi-beam orthotropic configuration for superior load distribution. The bridge piers are founded on 2.5-meter-diameter drilled shafts, reaching a maximum depth of 98 meters, ensuring stability on soft riverbed soils.
Construction Milestones
February 2022: Full construction permits approved; project commenced.
October 28, 2023: Main steel truss closure completed; primary structure finished.
November 2023: Initiation of bridge deck paving operations.
March 26, 2024: Highway deck officially opened to traffic.
These milestones highlight the project’s rapid and precise execution despite complex environmental and logistical conditions.
Technical Innovations
The Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge introduces several design and construction innovations:
Five-Span Continuous Steel Truss Launching:
This project marked the first application of a five-span continuous steel truss launching method on the middle reaches of the Yellow River. The technique required millimeter-level precision, with deviation strictly controlled under 5 millimeters.
Advanced Pier Foundations:
Piers were constructed using long, high-strength drilled shafts, addressing the soft sedimentary riverbed and ensuring long-term structural stability under dynamic hydraulic loads.
Optimized Dual-Level Traffic System:
The upper highway deck and lower railway deck are structurally separated but designed to act as a single cohesive system under live loads. This arrangement improves load distribution, facilitates inspection and maintenance, and reduces overall construction costs.
High-Altitude and Riverine Challenges:
With the bridge located on the Yellow River floodplain, construction teams contended with high winds, shifting sands, and fluctuating water levels, necessitating innovative erection methods and precise monitoring of structural alignment.
HiTens’ Contribution
HiTens played a vital role in the bridge’s successful execution by supplying precision shear wrenches, torque-controlled tools, and calibration support. The tools were extensively used across steel truss assembly, pier connections, and cable attachments.
Steel Truss Assembly:
High-strength bolts were tightened to exact specifications using HiTens wrenches, ensuring uniform tension and joint stability for the bridge’s main spans.Pier and Deck Connections:
Each pier-to-deck and truss-to-pier interface required strict torque adherence to maintain structural continuity and guarantee alignment across all five spans.Quality Assurance and Calibration:
HiTens provided on-site calibration and operator training, guaranteeing that torque accuracy remained within ±3%, thereby reducing rework and confirming compliance with design standards.
Through the deployment of HiTens equipment, engineers achieved consistent and reliable bolting performance, critical for both railway load dynamics and heavy highway traffic.
Operational Performance
Upon completion, the bridge successfully integrated highway and railway traffic without compromising safety or structural integrity. Precision bolting with HiTens tools ensured minimal deviation in truss geometry and uniform stress distribution across the main spans.
Load tests confirmed that both roadway and railway decks met or exceeded design specifications, demonstrating durability, resilience against wind, and stability under train vibrations. The dual-level configuration optimizes traffic throughput while providing a reliable, long-lasting crossing for the Yellow River.
Regional Impact
The opening of the Liaotai Yellow River Highway Bridge has brought significant economic and social benefits:
Replaces the 1970-built Pingyin Yellow River Bridge, alleviating traffic bottlenecks.
Reduces travel time from Liaocheng to Tai’an to just 1.5 hours.
Enhances freight efficiency and connectivity at the Jinan railway hub.
Daily traffic: over 3,000 trucks, diverting roughly 35% of vehicles from the original bridge.
Supports regional development: Facilitates integration of Liaocheng and Tai’an into the broader Jinan metropolitan area.
The bridge contributes to the national railway and highway network, connecting with Beijing–Kowloon Railway and Beijing–Shanghai Railway, strengthening logistics efficiency and regional mobility.
HiTens Contribution Summary
HiTens’ precision tools ensured the safe and accurate installation of every bolted connection during the assembly of China’s largest-span flat truss road–rail bridge. Their involvement was crucial in:
Maintaining millimeter-level precision in steel truss assembly.
Ensuring uniform tension in high-strength bolts for both highway and railway decks.
Enabling rapid and safe installation of complex pier and deck connections.
By providing cutting-edge fastening solutions, HiTens helped engineers deliver a structurally sound, durable, and reliable bridge that meets rigorous performance standards for highway and railway operations, while also significantly improving regional transport efficiency.
Learn more from our FAQ
Learn how HiTens supports construction and industrial projects worldwide with reliable shear and torque wrenches, precision calibration, and professional support.
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HiTens supply all kinds shear wrench, electric torque controlled wrench, from M12 to M36, from metric to inch standard, and solution for construction bolt installation.
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Every HiTens wrench is engineered for precision, strength, and durability. They are designed to ensure consistent torque stability and ease of operation, even in the most demanding environments.
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Yes. We can design and manufacture custom shear wrenches and torque wrenches tailored to your specific project requirements and standards.
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Our wrenches are manufactured under strict quality control protocols that meet both national and industry standards. We are also fully certified under the GJB9001B-2009 Quality Management System.
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We offer comprehensive technical support—from product selection and calibration to on-site troubleshooting—helping our customers minimize downtime and maximize efficiency.