Aerial footbridge linking Lianhua Hill Park opens

People walk on the new aerial footbridge linking Lianhua Hill Park and Upper Hills in Futian District that opened Saturday. Sun Yuchen

The Upperhills end of the footbridge. Wang Haolan

The Lianhua Hill end of the footbridge.

A running activity was held Saturday to mark the opening of a 300-meter-long aerial footbridge linking Lianhua Hill Park and Upper Hills — a large urban complex that integrates apartment buildings, hotels and business centers — in Futian District.

The 300-meter-long footbridge is part of the 1.2-kilometer bridge that connects Lianhua Hill Park and Bijia Hill Park and spans three urban roads: Huanggang, Lianhua and Caitian.

A key landscape improvement project of Futian District, the bridge offers convenience for outdoor leisure, sightseeing and shopping. The construction of the aerial corridor is a way of separating vehicle and pedestrian flows as ground traffic in the CBD area becomes increasingly saturated, according to the district’s urban renovation bureau.

With two parks at each end and Upper Hills at its center, the corridor consists of two sections: a 366-meter-long bridge over Huanggang Road and a 243-meter-long bridge across Caitian Road. It takes 10 minutes to walk between the two hill parks and residents can stop for shopping and leisure at Upper Hills along their way.

Huanggang Road and Caitian Road often see heavy traffic, especially during rush hours.

The footbridge’s structure is made of steel and the heaviest piece of the frame weighs 57.1 tons.

The aerial corridor is a preliminary engineering project for the development of the Meilin-Caitian area, according to the district’s urban renovation bureau.

According to the district’s 13th Five-Year Plan, a total of 55 projects involving 36 billion yuan (US$5.46 billion) of investment will be launched in the area, targeting industrial development, auxiliary facilities and transportation optimization.

Upper Hills will be turned into a new type of urban complex that integrates the creative industry, high-end research, modern finance and trendy consumption.

The China International Consumer Electronics Exchange and Exhibition Center, which is located in Upper Hills and was put into operation last March, is a first-class high-end electronic product hub.

The center, which covers an area of 40,000 square meters, has attracted more than 300 consumer electronics brands from around the world.