PR83573

CHENGDU, China, Apr. 3, 2020 /Xinhua=KYODO JBN/--

On April 2 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; Xihoumen Cross-sea Bridge in

Zhoushan, Zhejiang, 1,650m in the main span, China's longest and World's second

longest suspension bridge; Chishui River Bridge, the world's highest pylons

suspension bridge in alpine regions; Xingkang Bridge on Luding Dadu River, one

of China's mega projects and has been dubbed the "number one bridge of Sichuan

and Tibet". And Jinjiazhuang long spiral tunnel, which has declared by World

Records Certification Agency as the world's longest spiral highway tunnel under

construction.

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

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

highways and bridges, among other projects.

Source: Sichuan Road and Bridge Group