Longmen Bridge

The Longmen suspension bridge is a major component of the principal line of the Guangxi Binhai Expressway - an important channel connecting the Beibu Gulf Economic Zone, the only coastal sightseeing highway in Guangxi.

The grand construction work began in August 2020 and is one of Dissing+Weitling’s more recent projects in China done in collaboration with HPDI Guangzhou.

The bridge is the first mega bridge in Guangxi, which is seating in the south of Guangxi Province. The bridge is designed as a two-way six-lane expressway and will be able to meet the navigation demands of 20,000-metic-ton ships.

The Dragon Gate - Chinese storytelling

Dissing+Weitling’s bridge design is inspired by the Chinese history and culture; the expression of the pylons refer to the old Chinese gates and the signs means “Dragons Gate”.

The size of the bridge and alignment over the Maowei Sea made the use of a suspension bridge with H-pylons an inevitability. This design constraint was met with an additional consideration: the client requested incorporation of painted colour and Chinese storytelling into the design concept. Discussions between HDPI, the client, and Dissing+Weitling included proposals for paint considerations – and expanded to include a range of symbols of Chinese history, design, and language from bamboo to dragons to traditional gates.

The H-Pylon concept adopted reflects the magnitude of the structure: two towers rise 174 metres into the air, with a clearance of 44.5 metres. Together both towers span 1.1 kilometres – and their scale provides a central visual theme for the entire bridge.

Inspired by cultural visual and architectural traditions, the H-Pylons of Longmen are reimagined as two traditional Chinese gates. Placed on either side of the water crossing, they become striking points of entry and departure – providing a spatial connection for the user between bridge and landscape.

- The Longmen Bridge project is an outcome of our fruitful and close collaboration with HPDI Guangzhou. We are working together with our Chinese partner on another grand landmark – the Huangmaohai Bridge. Besides that we have a long history within bridge design, this kind of continuous co-lab is what makes it possible to create this state-of-the-art Danish-Chinese bridge project, says Bridge Architect Jesper Henriksen from Dissing+Weitling.