On the traffic map of Jiangsu Province, the southwest of Taixing City is adjacent to Changzhou City. However, since ancient times, due to the barrier of the Yangtze River, the economic and social exchanges between the two places have been extremely unsmooth. Although it is a river across, Taixing people psychologically feel that they are far away from Changzhou.
In the 1980s, Taixing people went to Changzhou mainly by passenger ships, which were two-way folio and had two shifts a day. My great aunt's family is in Xinhua Village, Weicun, Changzhou, and I remember going to her house every summer vacation when I was a child, and I took the Yangtze River passenger ferry. When I enjoyed the scenery of the river on the passenger ship, I felt that it was on the sea, full of mystery. The passenger ship stops at Yangzhong, Lu'anzhou, Desheng Port West 3 docks, 4 kilometers wide river surface, the sailing time takes more than an hour, plus the two ends of the journey and waiting time, almost takes a little half a day, although a little tired, but I am still happy to do it. When I arrived on the other side of the Yangtze River, walking on the wide road and seeing the fiery production of the riverside ship factory, I felt as if I had come to a foreign country, and I also felt the strong impetus for the economic development of the rural economy in Jiangnan.
However, passenger ships are limited to individual passengers and non-motorized vehicles, with fewer departures, limited ferry capacity, and long time consuming. Bulk cargo transport trucks and cars can only bypass the Zhenyang steam ferry in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River, or the Jiangyin steam ferry in the lower reaches, and the time and transportation costs have greatly increased, and economic exchanges have been seriously hindered. In 1987, Taixing Qiwei - Changzhou Weitang Bus Ferry was completed, and the intercity passenger shuttle bus from Changzhou to Taixing was opened successively, and the buses of the two places also seamlessly connected with the ferry port, further narrowing the time and space distance between Taixing and Changzhou.
With the continuous growth of Taiwu Automobile Ferry capacity, in 1993, the Yangtze River passenger ferry slowly withdrew from the historical stage, and passenger ferries crossing the river has become a permanent memory of a generation. People on both sides of the strait mainly rely on steam to cross the river. With the auto ferry, more and more Taixing people choose to go to Changzhou for business development. Many people in the townships near The Qidu township work in the Changzhou Jiangbian Chemical Park and cross the river by car every morning and evening. With the further development of the economy, the living standards of the people are getting higher and higher. Ferries are no longer a single truck, passenger car, individual passengers dragging snakeskin bags out to work, private cars have gradually appeared more and more on the ferry and gradually become the protagonist, 20 minutes across the river, fast and convenient, which in the past did not dare to think.
In the 1990s, reform and opening up entered a new historical period. Su Xichang's economy has achieved rapid growth, and there has been a model of southern Jiangsu and a miracle in southern Jiangsu. With the further development of the economy, the further enhancement of economic exchanges between the north and south of the great river, the growing demand for travel of people on both sides of the strait, and the low efficiency, long time consumption, high cost and poor safety of the steam ferry are far from being able to meet the requirements of the development of the times.
In the new century, the Jiangyin Bridge, runyang bridge, and Taizhou bridge have been built one after another, and through the integration and development of cross-river integration and complementary advantages, the economic development of Jiangbei has stepped onto a new level. Through the efforts of the governments and peoples of Changzhou and Taixing, in November 2014, the Changtai River Crossing Channel was included in the "Comprehensive Three-dimensional Transportation Corridor Planning of the Yangtze River Economic Belt", and was identified as one of the key projects for the new crossing channel of the Yangtze River Trunk Line. In January 2019, the construction of changtai Yangtze River Bridge was officially started, which is a historic moment! In August, the main project bidding was launched; on November 22, the main project of the bridge began; on December 28, the main bridge pier steel sinking well was floated in place and accurately positioned, and the goal of reliable sinking and accurate implantation was achieved in 2020; at the end of 2021, the 5# and 6# piers completed the construction of the bottom section tower pillar, and the north-south diversion bridge was fully advanced... The Changtai Yangtze River Bridge is smoothly advancing towards the established goal in an orderly manner. We are eagerly looking forward to the early completion of the Changtai Yangtze River Bridge, along with the formation of the Xichangtai Metropolitan Circle, I believe that our life will become more and more beautiful!