Hunan University Sunday displayed its research achievement – a traffic bridge made of bamboo in Leiyang City--at an international architectural symposium hosted by the province, the Changsha Evening News reported on October 29.

The 3.5-meter-wide bridge, featuring a span of 10 meters, will support up to 90 tons. Yet the city prudently established a traffic weight restriction of 8 tons for the bridge. The bridge will go into operation on November 20.

An expert crouched under the bamboo bridge to get a closer look of the bridge's structure. (photo: Changsha Evening News)

"Using bamboo material can cut construction costs in half, shorten the construction period and reduce pollution during bridge building," said Xiao Yan, Dean of Hunan University's Civil Engineering College.

Engineers in the project synthesized Carbon Fiber Reinforced Plastics (CFRP) with bamboo to enhance the flexibility of the material and increase the span of the bridge.

Experts from the University of Southern California, Japan-based Oita University and Beijing headquartered International Network for Bamboo and Rattan participated in the symposium.

(China.org.cn by Wu Jin, October 30, 2007)