Photo of Baidu Bridge outside Shanghai Bund

Waibaidu Bridge is the first all-steel riveted bridge in China, the only remaining unequal-height truss bridge in China, and the fourth bridge built i

Photo of Baidu Bridge outside Shanghai Bund

Waibaidu Bridge is the first all-steel riveted bridge in China, the only remaining unequal-height truss bridge in China, and the fourth bridge built in the same position near the mouth of Suzhou River since 1856. Because it is located at the intersection of Suzhou River and Huangpu River, it has become an important traffic artery connecting Huangpu and Hongkou. The current Waibaidu Bridge was completed and opened to traffic on1October 20th 1908 65438+. Because of its rich history and unique design, the Waibaidu Bridge has become one of the symbols of Shanghai and a symbol of Shanghai's modernization and industrialization. 1February 994 15, the Shanghai Municipal People's Government listed the Waibaidu Bridge as one of the outstanding historical protection buildings. In a rapidly changing city like Shanghai, the Waibaidu Bridge still exudes unique charm. Since the completion of 1908, the Waibaidu Bridge has become an indispensable part of the Shanghai skyline.

There are still many disputes about the origin of the name of "Waibaidu Bridge". Now we know that the wooden bridge was called by Shanghai Ministry of Industry and Information Technology at 1873. The most widely accepted explanation is: "The upstream of any river is called Li, and the downstream is the outside." In the book History and Architecture of the Bund by scholar Xue, there is such a statement: In some cases, the inside and outside of China people refer to the distance from a certain point. This usage can still be seen in some places in Shanghai, and the Waibaidu Bridge belongs to this category. Therefore, the bridge near the upstream is called Libaidu Bridge, and the estuary is naturally called Waibaidu Bridge.

As an all-steel bridge, Waibaidu Bridge is always tough in the eyes of ordinary people, with nearly 30,000 cars passing by here every day. Perhaps the city has a new bright spot every day. Before this overhaul, people gradually turned a blind eye to this century-old city landmark and just took it for granted that it was the hub of urban transportation. However, at the end of 2007, Shanghai Municipal Engineering Administration Bureau received a letter from a British design company, which stated that "the design service life of Waibaidu Bridge is 100, and it has expired, so please pay attention to the maintenance of this bridge" and "it is suggested that the underwater concrete abutment should be repaired with wooden piles and concrete hollow slab piers". Of course, the purpose of the British design unit is to exempt the bridge from legal responsibility after the accident, but this also reflects the professional and rigorous attitude of the designer on the other hand.