Celebrations take place today in Ho Chi Minh city in Vietnam to mark the opening of the US$114 million Phu My Bridge and the first section of a new east-west highway.

The cable-stayed bridge spaning the Saigon River has been buit by the BBBH Consortium of Baulderstone and Bilfinger Berger Civil. The main bridge is 705m long with a clear span of 380m and the contract also includes approach structures totalling almost 1.4km.

Both pylons have an H-shaped profile and are approximately 140m high.

The main deck is a reinforced concrete slab supported on longitudinal and transverse beams and suspended by the stay cables, which were installed simultaneously with the casting of the deck. The deck was constructed in balanced cantilever fashion using formwork travellers.