Final segment of Jingxiong Bridge installed

The last segment of the span of a new mega bridge along the Beijing-Xiong'an freeway was installed in Beijing on Saturday, preparing for the freeway's upcoming opening in this year, according to the Beijing transport commission.

The 1,620-meter bridge sits above the Yongding River in Southwestern Beijing. It will be another landmark bridge in the capital upon completion. The 300-meter main arch makes the bridge the city's longest single arch span bridge. Upon completion, there will be eight lanes on the bridge.

A total of 22,000 metric tons of steel was used to build the bridge, according to Gao Linlong, an engineer from Shanghai Civil Engineering Group of China Railway Engineering Group.

A wetland park is under construction on both sides of the bridge. It will be a new leisure area for local residents.

The bridge is a control project of the freeway linking Beijing and Xiong'an.

The Beijing-Xiong'an Expressway, which will extend more than 100 km when completed, has about 27 km in Beijing and 75 km in Hebei. The last section—between the Fifth Ring Road and the Sixth Ring Road—is under construction.

Upon completion, it takes about an hour from Beijing's Fifth Ring Road in the southwestern part of the capital to the new area, saving up to 30 minutes, according to Zhao Yang, an official with the Beijing transport commission.