Jiangsu is crisscrossed by rivers, canals, and other bodies of water. Many bridges have been constructed to traverse these water bodies by foot, motor vehicle, and rail. Some of these bridges are very old, such as Wuxi’s Qingming Bridge, and others are brand new, including the under-construction, Su-Tong Bridge across the Yangtze River.

The magnificent newer bridges across the Yangtze River, especially those in Nanjing, and the older bridges across the ancient Grand Canal and other smaller canals, represent a major tourism resource for Jiangsu. Many of these are engineering marvels, as well as being eye-pleasing at day and night.

Jiangyin Yangtze River Bridge
The Jiangyin Suspension Bridge is the most seaward bridge to cross the Yangtze River. It connects the cities of Jiangyin and Jingjiang. The main span of the bridge is 1,385 meters long, making it the fifth largest suspension bridge in the world and the largest in China at the time of its completion in 1999. With the completion of the Runyang Bridge in 2005, it became the second largest in China.

Located in the center of Jiangsu, it carries the traffic from two national expressways; Tongjiang-Sanya Expressway on the east coast and the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway on the west. There are three traffic lanes in both directions and pedestrian sidewalks. The location of the bridge was selected because it is a spot where the river is narrow.

The bridge opened on September 28, 1999. In 2002, the bridge received an award at the International Bridge Conference for “outstanding achievement in bridge engineering that, through vision and innovation, provides an icon to the community for which it was designed."

Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge
The Nanjing Yangtze River Bridge is the second bridge, after the Wuhu Yangtze River Bridge, to be built across the Yangtze River in Nanjing. It is 6,772 meters long and has a span of 160 meters; it can take up to 15 minutes to cross during regular traffic periods. It was completed in 1968 and is the first double-decker, double-track highway and railway bridge designed and constructed by the Chinese without outside engineering assistance.

After the People's Republic of China and the Soviet Union's relations decayed, China was left unable to build a bridge on such a scale by themselves, without outside support. The project was undertaken to prove Chinese engineers were able to overcome this perceived lack of ability.

Qingming Bridge
The Qingming Bridge, built over the ancient Grand Canal during the middle period of Emperor Wanli’s reign (1572-1620) of the Ming Dynasty. It is the largest and best-preserved ancient stone arch bridge still standing in Wuxi. It is located in the southeast of the town and architecturally interesting to bridge enthusiast.s

There are some scenic pictures at the Qingming Bridge. The bridge overlooks a beautiful canal. Crossing the bridge, you can wander around a residential area about 100 years old. It is a good way to get a feel of how the locals live in older, less modernized areas. Vendors line the alleys, selling fish that flap in little tubs of water, fresh vegetables and many spices.

Runyang Bridge
The Runyang Bridge is a large bridge complex that crosses the Yangtze River in Jiangsu, downstream of Nanjing. The Runyang Bridge is the first bridge along the Yangtze River that combines design of cable-stayed and suspension bridges. Having a span of 1,490 meters, its Nancha Bridge is "No. 1 in China and No. 3 in the world.”  The complex consists of two major bridges that link Zhenjiang on the south bank of the river and Yangzhou on the north. The bridge is part of the Beijing-Shanghai Expressway. Construction of the bridge complex began in October 2000 and was completed ahead of schedule. The bridge cost 5.8 billion Yuan (about US$ 700 million). The complex opened to traffic on April 30, 2005.

Two suspension bridges are planned in China which will be larger than the south bridge, the Xihoumen Bridge (1,650 meters), and Qiongzhou Bridge (2,000 meters to 2,500 meters).

Su-Tong Bridge
The Su-tong Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge that spans the Yangtze River that is currently under construction. The Su-Tong Yangtze River Bridge is centrally located in the Nantong Economic & Technological Development Area, some 100 kilometers from the estuary of the Yangtze River, aimed to connect Nanjing -Nantong and Yancheng -Nantong Expressways to the north, and Shanghai -Nanjing and Suzhou -Jiaxing -Hangzhou Expressways and Riverside Expressway in the south. It is a key transport link of Tongjiang -Sanya Coastal Expressway.

The Su -Tong Bridge spans 7,600 meters across the river. The main navigation channel is a two-tower stayed-cable bridge with main span of 1,088 meters and clearance of 62 meters. Container vessels of the fourth and fifth generations can go through smoothly at all weather conditions. With links to its north and south totaling 32 kilometers long, the completed bridge will be the largest among stayed-cable bridges in the world. Currently, the foundation of engineering and construction is completed, and the full-scale construction of bridge tower bodies is under way.

Su-tong Bridge will play several important roles, such as in perfecting the trunk road network of China and Jiangsu, promoting balanced development in different areas, improving passenger safety in crossing the Yangtze River, lessening traffic pressure, and ensuring travel safety.

The whole line requires steel 200,000 tons, one million cubic meters of concrete, fro bridge and culverts, and three million cubic meters of earth for filling. The total area of land to be occupied is more than 10,000 mu, involving 100,000 square meters of buildings that have to be resettled. The total investment for the project is estimated to be more than six RMB billion ($ 0.75 billion) and the planned construction period is six years.