According to a number of mainland media reports, on the afternoon of August 4, a video was circulated among some people in Wubao County, Shaanxi Province and Liulin County, Shanxi Province. The video shows that the nearly 200-meter-long white bridge railing on one side of the bridge has collapsed, and some guardrails have been broken in half.
The Wubao news official Weibo released a statement from the county’s joint investigation team on the 5th, saying that on the afternoon of August 4th, Wubao County, Yulin City, Shaanxi Province experienced thunderstorms and strong winds, and local areas were accompanied by strong winds and short-term heavy precipitation. Located to the west of the county seat, part of the guardrail of the Yellow River Bridge connecting the Shanxi-Shaanxi Grand Canyon was blown down by strong winds.
The statement stated that the county set up an investigation team to carry out on-site investigations and temporarily closed the bridge.
According to the yellow warning signal of thunderstorm and strong wind issued by Wubao County Meteorological Observatory at 12:1 on August 4, the gust of that day can reach level 7 or above accompanied by thunder and lightning.
At around 12 o’clock on August 5th, witnesses confirmed that the bridge where the guardrail collapsed had been closed, and the collapsed railings could still be seen on the bridge deck at the scene, and no one dealt with it. Witnesses also said: “I found that the base of other guardrails were cracked, and the sidewalk was also cracked.”
Netizens have questioned and ridiculed:
“Tofu dregs project?”
“The 7.7-kilometer journey costs 180 million yuan, and this level of quality can still be achieved. I am really disappointed!”
“It’s a miracle that the guardrail doesn’t fall down. There are problems in the design. The entire guardrail is glued together with cement mortar. How strong is it to resist earthquakes and wind?”
“There is no foundation and it is directly placed on the bridge, and it is a large stone slab, the wind pressure is too great! Do you think it is used indoors by the designer?”
“It’s an anti-corruption trend.”
According to public information, the 307 National Highway Wubao Yellow River Bridge and lead wire project connects Shanxi and Shaanxi provinces, with a total length of 2.639 kilometers. It was completed on November 30, 2019, and will be handed over for acceptance on August 9, 2022. The project investment is 177 million yuan.
The Wubao County Government stated in the bridge opening notice issued on January 19, 2023 that the opening time is 9:00 am on January 20, 2023.
Tofu dregs projects are not uncommon in mainland China. On September 1, 2019, a bridge across the Xianghe River on Jiangbei Avenue in Quanjiao County, Anhui Province collapsed during construction. 19 construction workers fell into the water and were buried in the ruins. Four of them died and 15 were injured. .
On June 14 of the same year, the middle part of the Dongjiang Bridge (also known as Zijin Bridge) in Heyuan City, Guangdong Province collapsed and fell into the river. Two cars fell into the water together, and the whereabouts of the two people in the car were unknown.
A few hours earlier, the Dangyan Bridge in Shuntian Township, Dongyuan County, Heyuan City, Guangdong Province had just collapsed, causing a car to fall into the water with 2 people in it, 1 of whom died and 1 was missing.
The Jialu River Bridge in Zhongmu County, Zhengzhou, Henan Province took nearly 3 years and cost more than 100 million yuan. After it was opened to traffic in March 2018, it was only used for 4 months, and there were a lot of damage and cracks on the bridge deck, which could even be seen clearly. To the steel plate under the gravel, the whole bridge needs to be rebuilt.
