PR83267

CHENGDU, China, Mar. 12, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

On March 12 local time, the Norwegian Beitstad Bridge was officially opened to traffic.

Beitstad Bridge over the Beitstad strait of the municipality of Steinkjer, Trondelag county

in central Norway, was constructed by Sichuan Road and Bridge Group (SRBG),

an affiliate  of Sichuan Railway Investment Group Co., Ltd. (hereinafter referred to as SRIG).

This is the first project SRBG has independently tendered and won in Norway,

and the second bridge that the group has constructed in the country.

Spanning over the Bettesta Strait, this steel-concrete composite bridge

constitutes a part of the Norwegian County Roads 17 and 720.

Given a large number of turns and poor road conditions in this road section,

which is incompliant with road standards and traffic demands, local government

proposed a renovation project in a bid to refine the traffic condition and improve

road safety and Beitstad Bridge has played an essential part in the proposed project.

SRBG stood out from bidders renowned at home and abroad with outstanding

technology and rich experience, and took 26 months to complete the building of

the bridge. Worthy of its name "A Bridge of Convenience," Beitstad has helped

improve the local traffic, making commuting easier for residents living on two

sides of the strait and linking the three towns of Sprova, Malm and Dyrstad

closely together. Upon its completion, the bridge has injected new vitality to

the infrastructure construction and economic growth of the local area.

The smooth progress of the Beitstad Bridge project is not by chance. As early

as in 2018, SRBG was recognized by the Norwegian government and people for

its efficient and quality construction of the Halogaland Bridge.

Situated 200km north of the Arctic Circle, the Halogaland Bridge is hailed as

the "Bridge Neighboring Aurora". Due to the extremely challenging construction

conditions, the Owner, Norwegian Northern Highway Bureau, sought for main

contract contractors around the globe, which aroused extensive attention

globally. SRBG eventually overcame all the difficulties in language, polar

climate, and stringent "Nordic standards," won the bid and completed the

construction, thus becoming the first Chinese company to build a long-span

bridge in a developed European country.

The valuable experience in the bidding and construction of the Halogaland

Bridge has paved the way for SRBG to build the Beitstad Bridge in a smooth

manner. Based on the successful experience from the Halogaland Bridge project,

SRBG has cultivated a host of engineers who are familiar with HSE and the technical

standards of steel structure welding, painting and concrete construction in Norway

and other parts of Europe, financial personnel who understand overseas financial

accounting/audit rules, and contract engineers who are experienced in overseas bidding,

bid invitation and subcontractor management. The management team of the Beitstad

Bridge project is basically made up of personnel formerly working for the Halogaland Bridge

project and those dispatched by the SRBG, who have immensely contributed to the project.

As a top-flight comprehensive multinational in the infrastructure sector, SRBG

boasts core competitiveness in construction of deep-water long-span bridges,

highway pavements, and extra-long tunnels of complex geological conditions. Its

masterpieces include Wanzhou Yangtze River Bridge, the reinforced concrete arch

bridge of the world's largest span back then; Fuling Wujiang Bridge, the arch

bridge without balanced weight swing of Asia's largest span at that time; and

Xihoumen Cross-sea Bridge in Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 1,650m in the main span,

China's longest and World's second longest suspension bridge then.

The Beitstad Bridge marks a major achievement in SRBG's response to the "Belt

and Road" Initiative and "Go overseas" strategy, and another world-recognized

China-made project following the Halogaland Bridge project. The two bridges in

northwest Norway, 500km apart, have been acclaimed around the world for China's

competence in infrastructure construction.

Currently, SRBG has extended its services to several foreign countries and

regions such as Africa, the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe. Apart from

the Norwegian projects, the group has undertaken international projects in

Bangladesh, Kuwait, Cambodia, Tanzania and Senegal for construction of highways

and bridges, among other projects.

Source: Sichuan Road and Bridge Group