Newly completed Hongqi Bridge suffers landslide-induced failure months after opening in Sichuan

A major geotechnical incident occurred in southwest China when the newly completed Hongqi Bridge, a 758-meter-long structure in Maerkang city, Sichuan province, partially collapsed following signs of slope instability and landslide activity. The collapse happened in early November 2025, just months after the bridge was opened to traffic. 

Local authorities reported that on 10 November 2025 the structure had already been closed to traffic during the previous day after cracks appeared in slopes and nearby roads, and movement was detected in the mountainside terrain. On 11 November, the situation escalated: a landslide undermined the bridge’s approach span and roadbed, causing a section of the bridge to fail. Fortunately, no casualties have been reported so far. 

The Hongqi Bridge forms part of a national highway linking central China to the Tibetan region and was promoted as a key infrastructure milestone by its contractor, the Sichuan Road & Bridge Group.