China has opened the Rainbow Bridge in Gaoyao, Zhaoqing, Guangdong, the country's first cable-stayed bridge built entirely with carbon fibre stay cables. The 250.5 metre pedestrian bridge has a 173 metre main span and 22 cables arranged in 11 pairs. Domestic supplier Zhongfu Carbon Core (ZFCC) made the full cable system, which removes steel from the structure entirely. ZFCC says the carbon fibre cables cut cable weight by more than 80%, raise tensile strength by around 53%, and resist corrosion better than steel, which lowers maintenance over the bridge's life. The company plans to extend the approach to municipal bridges and hydraulic structures. The project is an example of carbon fibre moving from niche uses into full-scale civil infrastructure.
