Newly opened Chinese bridge collapses (video)
In this DML Report…
On November 11, 2025, the approach ramp and roadway of the 758-meter-long Hongqi Bridge partially collapsed in the Shuangjiangkou area of Maerkang city, located in Sichuan province's Aba Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture in southwest China. The incident occurred on Tuesday afternoon along the G317 national highway, which connects China's central regions to Tibet, and was triggered by a landslide resulting from mountain slope failure and terrain shifts. No casualties or injuries were reported, as local police had closed the bridge to all traffic the previous day after detecting cracks in nearby slopes and roads. The collapse involved the bridge's access structure and roadbed, creating a large dust cloud but no vehicle involvement since the closure was in effect.
Construction of the Hongqi Bridge, operated by the Sichuan Road & Bridge Group, was completed earlier in 2025, with the contractor confirming the finish via a social media video. The structure serves as a key link in the mountainous terrain of Sichuan, a region known for its seismic activity and history of geological hazards, including the 2008 Wenchuan earthquake that devastated nearby areas. Authorities described the event as a natural disaster rather than an engineering flaw, with initial assessments pointing to environmental factors exacerbating slope instability.
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Local reports indicate the landslide may have been influenced by water accumulation from the nearby Shuangjiangkou Dam, which contributed to cracks in the bridge's concrete supports. Sichuan province has seen multiple infrastructure incidents in 2025, including a railway bridge collapse in August that killed 12 workers and a highway bridge failure in Guizhou in June due to heavy rainfall and landslides. Investigations are ongoing, with authorities emphasizing precautionary measures that prevented loss of life, and traffic diversions remain in place along the affected highway section.