Irrawaddy Bridge

The Yadanabon Bridge spans the Irrawaddy River (Ayeyarwady River) in the Mandalay suburb connects with Sagaing City. It is upstream of the Ava Bridge. which is at the confluence of the Irrawaddy with the Myitnge River, close to the Kyaukse rice fields. The bridge (also known as Ayeyawady Bridge) is the gateway to Yangon, Mandalay and interior other regions. Nearby on the river banks are two 12th century payas known as Shwe-kyet-yet and Shwe-kyet-kya. ==History==

The old Ava (or Inva or Inwa Bridge) across the Irrawaddy River had a span of . Built by the British in 1934, until the 1990s, it was the only bridge which spanned this river. The Ava had aged, and its carrying capacity became limited to under 15-ton capacity trucks since 1992. Heavily laden vehicles crossed the river with Z-craft ferries, resulting in less efficient transportation of goods. To ease the traffic congestion and to help improve the overall economic conditions of Burma, a new bridge was planned by the government. International tender was invited in early 2002 for ts construction. The tender for the highway bridge envisaged planning, design and construction. The bidding process lasted eight months, and the work was awarded to China CAMC Engineering Cc., Ltd. in October 2002. The contract was signed in Rangoon for a tendered amount of US$10.90 million on 19 November 2002. ==Features==

Irrawaddy Bridge was built by the Public Works of the Ministry of Construction. It has total span of long and has a four-lane motorway of width with pedestrian lanes of wide on the flanks. It is designed for a carrying capacity of 60 tons. The Thiri Mangala overpass above the railway crossing (which used to hold up traffic) involved a reinforced concrete bridge of length with a two-lane motorway with a carrying capacity of 60 tons. It is designed to provide a clearance of width and height to pass the trains. ==References==