Hongqi Bridge
Hongqi Bridge was a tall elevated structure across a steep canyon in Barkam in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture of Sichuan Province, China, spanning the Zumuzu River, eastern tributary of the Dadu River. It was an important waypoint located within Sichuan connecting the rest of China to the Tibet Autonomous Region. The bridge was also part of China National Highway 317 of the Chinese highway network and travels near the Shuangjiangkou Dam.
Chengdu Engineering Corporation, a subsidiary of China Power Construction Corporation under the Assets Supervision and Administration Commission, handled the bridge's design and construction. The Sichuan Expressway Construction and Development Group posted a now-deleted video of the final concrete pouring on 14 January 2025, signifying the project's completion after five years of construction. The bridge was opened to traffic on 13 April 2025. On 11 November 2025, just days after the inauguration of the nearby Shuangjiangkou Dam, a landslide caused the collapse of the western bridge approach and its part of the roadbed.
Characteristics
Hongqi Bridge was a cantilevered concrete bridge with a total length of. The central section consisted of a main span of flanked by two spans of each, supported by piers as tall as above the foundation. The bridge deck was a continuous rigid frame structure made of prestressed concrete, consisting of the three central spans connected as a single unit. The bridge carried a two-lane road, which exited a tunnel on the steep east bank, crossing the bridge and its approaches, and entered a tunnel on the steep west bank.Collapse
The bridge was evacuated and closed to traffic on 10 November 2025 by Maerkang city officials when road cracks and shifting terrain, along with a crack in the bridge structure were discovered by inspection officials at 3pm. Conditions worsened throughout 11 November before the bridge partially collapsed at 4:10pm. No casualties were reported.Satellite imagery after the collapse showed the western approach in rubble, while the main central section of the bridge appeared intact with the western end of the central section in mid-air, unattached and unsupported. No timeline for repairing or rebuilding the bridge has been announced.
Footage of the collapse was posted on social media. The majority of comments praised the government's handling of the situation and evacuation.
Causes
The authorities have stated that a landslide next to the bridge had caused the collapse and denied any quality issues.Several netizens on the Chinese internet have questioned the official claim that the collapse was precipitated by the landslide, noting that the area was known for landslides. State media Jimu News broadcast a bridge expert stating that if the project had been given the go-ahead despite the unstable terrain, slope management should have been factored into its design.