Timelapse shows Chinese bridge being demolished and rebuilt in just 36 hours

Chinese construction workers have put their Australian counterparts to shame after demolishing and then rebuilding a Beijing bridge in just 36 hours.

Timelapse footage shows the demolition and reconstruction of the 1,300-tonne Sanyuan bridge sped up into a one-minute video.

Due to heavy daily use of about 200,000 vehicles, support beams had begun to drop and had to be replaced.

The bridge was closed to drivers at 11pm on Friday November 13 and reopened just 43 hours later at 6pm on Sunday, November 15.

However, the plan did not go off without a hitch.

Engineers had initially scheduled 24 hours for the rebuild, but after removing the beams and discovering the damage was more severe than initially anticipated, it was altered to 36 hours.

With the aid of two kilotonne mechanical pulleys, the new pre-built beams were then slid into place.

Once the beams were in place, the road was repaved and reopened.

The Sanyuan Bridge was opened in 1984 and is a key part of Beijing's road infrastructure.

This is the first time Chinese engineers have utilised this kind of "integrated replacement method".

According to Shanghaiist, had traditional construction methods been utilised, the bridge would have been closed to commuters for at least two months.