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The 36km-long Hangzhou Bay Bridge is the longest ocean-crossing bridge in the world, spanning across the Hangzhou Bay on the East China Sea and crossing the Qiantang River at the Yangtze River Delta. It surpassed the Donghai Bridge, the longest transoceanic bridge in the world, when it was opened in 2005.The S-shaped Hangzhou Bay Bridge is an important connection in China’s East Coast Superhighway.
Starting in Jiaxing to the north, the bridge ends at Ningbo's Cixi county in the south.It shortens the ground transportation distance from Ningbo to Shanghai by 120km and travel time from four hours to two and half hours. It is a six-lane, and a 100-year, service guaranteed, cable-stayed design.The Hangzhou Bay Bridge was the main component of a 5.2km national highway between the provinces of Heilongjiang in the north and the Hainan in the south.
Preparatory work started on the bridge as far back as 1994. Construction work began in June 2003 and was completed in June 2007 and an opening ceremony was held on 26 June. Several tests and evaluations were conducted for about one year before official opening. The bridge was opened to the public in May 2008 and carried about 50,000 vehicles per day in its first year of operation.
So how exactly does the Hangzhou Bay Bridge cross the sea?
This sleek feat of modern engineering is a cable-stayed bridge, which snakes six lanes in either direction in the shape of a massive S. This form is believed to minimise the effects of the powerful annual tidal wave known locally as the Silver Dragon.The Hangzhou Bay Bridge has two main spans to the north and south, measuring 448 metres and 318 metres respectively, and has an orthotropic steel deck.Taking more than six hundred experts almost a decade of feasibility studies to design, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge was eventually approved in 2003. It cost US$ 1.7 billion (11.8 billion yuan) to construct and its lifespan is expected to be at least a hundred years.
This sleek feat of modern engineering is a cable-stayed bridge, which snakes six lanes in either direction in the shape of a massive S. This form is believed to minimise the effects of the powerful annual tidal wave known locally as the Silver Dragon.The Hangzhou Bay Bridge has two main spans to the north and south, measuring 448 metres and 318 metres respectively, and has an orthotropic steel deck.Taking more than six hundred experts almost a decade of feasibility studies to design, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge was eventually approved in 2003. It cost US$ 1.7 billion (11.8 billion yuan) to construct and its lifespan is expected to be at least a hundred years.
Although the final link was made in 2007, followed by an official opening ceremony, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge was not opened to the public until 2008, as thorough testing first needed to be carried out to ensure its safety.The speed limit on the bridge is 100 km (62 miles) per hour and vehicles pay a toll fee of 80 yuan to cross over. Drivers in danger of becoming mesmerised are kept alert by means of the flashing coloured lights that decorate the length of the bridge. There are plans for a service centre to be built on an island at the bridge's midpoint, including a restaurant, hotel and petrol station, plus public parks at either end.These additions will further enhance this amazing piece of architecture, making the Hangzhou Bay Bridge not only an important link between two developing regions, but also a popular tourist attraction.
To read the challenges to construct the bridge, u can read our last entry Hangzhou Bay Bridge Construction Challenges#
To read the challenges to construct the bridge, u can read our last entry Hangzhou Bay Bridge Construction Challenges#
