A large railway bridge began construction on Friday during an
unseasonable snowfall in Lhasa, capital of China's Tibet Autonomous
Region.
Stretching over the Lhasa River that runs by the regional capital
city, the bridge is a major project in Lhasa and the Tibetan
section of the Qinghai-Tibet Railway, according to Zhou Yousheng,
chief engineer with the headquarters of the Qinghai-Tibet
Railway.
With a total length of 918.55 meters and a main section of 108
meters, it is claimed to be the most difficult rail bridge to build
in Asia.
Colored entirely in white, like a hada, a piece of silk
given as a greeting gift among Tibetans, the bridge will vault over
the river and face the magnificent golden Potala Palace, said
Zhou.
The bridge, to be built at a cost of 100 million yuan (US$12
million) by the China Rail Bridge Engineering Group, is expected to
be completed by 2005.
Construction of the 1,956-km-long Qinghai-Tibet railway was
launched in June of 2001. At an average altitude of over 4,000
meters, it is an imposing landmark project in China's development
of its vast western region.
(Xinhua News Agency May 9, 2003)