CHONGQING (CQNEWS) -- Bridges have been playing an important role in Chongqing, a city of bridges. There is a group of ‘doctors’ for bridges, who climb up the bridge tower and climb down to the bottom of the bridge to inspect and maintain bridges.

It’s warm in late November. Ma Xinglin, Zeng Peng, Gao Wei, and Li Junlin, bridge maintenance and management workers of the Chongqing Municipal Facilities Operation and Security Center, are going to carry out periodic checks on the Shitu New City Bridge.

Ma Xinglin (right) and Li Junlin (left) take out the drones expertly and prepare for an all-round scan of the bridge.

Ma Xinglin tells us that the use of drones has helped them to check the ‘blind spots’ that cannot be reached by manual inspection and improve their work efficiency. The drones enable a 360-degree check on the bridge, accurate shooting and intelligent analysis of bridge components, and the diagnosis of common diseases.

“Those modern devices are helpful, but they still cannot replace humans,” says Ma Xinglin. Bridge safety is extremely important, so they take their work very seriously.

After finishing the drone inspection, Ma Xinglin and his team members start a long walk. They need to climb from the maintenance channel, which is less than one meter in diameter, to the bridge maintenance vehicle suspended directly below the bridge to inspect the bottom of the beam and the pier.

The sturdy maintenance channel is a little shaky in the strong wind on the river. Ma Xingling slowly climbed to the middle of the bridge maintenance vehicle. “Slow down. Be careful!” Though they have long been skilled in bridge inspection, they are watchful when working high above the ground.

Working at height is common for bridge maintenance workers. From the bottom of the bridge, Ma Xinglin and his partners entered the bridge tower.

The Shuitu New City Bridge is a cable-stayed bridge with steel-concrete composite beams. The cables are the main load-bearing components of the entire bridge.

Therefore, the anchor heads inside the bridge tower are a major target in the check. The bridge tower concrete, lifts, and distribution boxes all require careful inspection.

Ma Xinglin and his teammates climb up the tower, which is 128 meters away from the bridge surface, in a narrow, dim, and stuffy environment, meticulously checking every corner of the bridge tower and sending back the collected information and data by mobile phone.

In addition to drones, intelligent monitoring systems for bridge structures are a good help to them. Hundreds of sensors have been installed on the six cross-river bridges directly managed by Chongqing to monitor the stress, strain, and temperature of the bridges 24 hours a day.

Once there is any abnormality in the collected data, the alarm will be automatically raised. The personnel on duty in the background will dial the emergency rescue phone number to notify the bridge maintenance and management personnel immediately.

"The Chongqing Municipal Facilities Operation and Security Centre will soon introduce a mega bridge inspection robot, which can achieve 24-hour fully automatic inspection under bridges," Ma Xinglin proudly said. The new devices will further enhance the efficiency and accuracy of bridge maintenance.

They climb out of the bridge tower in the evening. On the way home, a steady stream of cars pass by them. They are the silent guardians of the bridge, who ensure the safety and convenient travel for people. This is the significance of the job, said Ma Xinglin. (Translated by Yuki, Fathom Language Limited)