On November 12^th, in Zurich, Switzerland, the Tian'e Longtan Grand Bridge clinched the International Association for Bridge and Structural Engineering, or IABSE's highest honor for large road and rail bridges. This project, a result of 43 months of collaborative work, was designed under the leadership of Zheng Jielian, Academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering and professor at the School of Civil Engineering and Architecture of Guangxi University. The bridge was funded by Guangxi Transportation Investment Group and constructed by Guangxi Road and Bridge Engineering Group, with the design details provided by Guangxi Transportation Design Group.

The Tian'e Longtan Grand Bridge, a key project of the Nandan-Tian'e Expressway in Guangxi, features a 600-meter-span upper-carrying rigid-frame concrete arch bridge, setting a new world record for arch bridge span length. This surpasses the previous record holder, the KRK Bridge in former Yugoslavia, by 210 meters, raising the world record for concrete arch bridges by 155 meters.

The bridge's construction involved overcoming numerous technical bottlenecks. Several major technical innovations were realized in aspects such as selecting the stiffness of the rigid-frame arch skeleton, pouring and choosing materials for the outer concrete layer, reducing concrete stress levels, and optimizing the longitudinal reinforcement of the arch ribs. These innovations led to significant technical and economic benefits.

Founded in 1929, the IABSE has 4,200 members from over 100 countries and regions, making it the international civil engineering association with the largest membership. It holds an annual awards ceremony to recognize outstanding projects in infrastructure, including bridges and buildings. For this year's awards ceremony, 38 projects were nominated globally, 13 of which were from China.