This 36-kilometer-long bridge is the longest bridge in the world to cross the ocean. It crosses Hangzhou Bay in the East China Sea and the Qiantang River in the delta of the great Yangtze River. In addition to its length, it is currently one of the most beautiful bridges in the world. We suggest you take a virtual walk through Hangzhou with us
At the time of this writing, Huangzhou was the record holder, but now a new bridge has been built that has taken over the palm and is the longest bridge in the world – it is the Qingdao Bridge, built in 2011.
There is a belief that the Chinese cannot build reliable structures… Perhaps soon, these prejudices will dissipate, thanks to projects such as this bridge. So, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge is built in the shape of an S and is the most important section of the China East Coast Superhighway. The bridge begins in Jiaxing in the north and ends in Ningbo, in the south.
The construction of this structure has shortened the distance of land transport from Ningbo to Shanghai by 120 km, and the travel time has been reduced from four hours to two. The two-way highway contains six lanes, and the speed limit here is 100 km/h. According to the project the bridge is guaranteed to last for 100 years, after which it can easily be reconstructed.
Wang Yong, chief engineer of the Hangzhou Bridge, said the bridge is one of the most important bridges not only in China, but in the world. Not only is it the longest (by sea), but it was also built in the most difficult marine environment – one of the three strongest streams on Earth flows here, typhoons are frequent, and the seabed is extremely heterogeneous. The map shows the location of the bridge:
Hangzhou map
Of the full project cost of CNY11.8bn ($1.42 billion), approximately CNY149m ($18 million) was contributed by 17 area NGOs. Approximately 35% of that amount was raised from private companies in Ningbo; 59% was secured as loans from China’s central and regional banks. The Songcheng Group is the largest nongovernment shareholder in the project, with 17.3% of the equity investment. According to investors, the construction of the new sea crossing bridge over Hangzhou Bay is a sign of China’s growing economic strength, its construction has greatly accelerated economic development in the Yangtze River Delta
According to the governor of Zhejiang, China’s fourth largest economy, “the bridge will help form a more convenient and efficient transportation network in the Yangtze River Delta, allowing each side to develop much closer relations with each other … We believe that the bridge will open many more development opportunities for the area and greatly increase its economic strength and competitive power.”
China Railway Bridge Bureau Group Co. Ltd. was the main contractor for the project . A consulting and maintenance contract was awarded to the well-known Hardesty & Hanover, LLP. Ty Lin International Company is the designer of the bridge. Ben C Gerwick provides shipwreck protection systems for the project. Pictured is the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Bridge
Hangzhouwan Bay is a bay in the East China Sea that is home to one of China’s natural wonders, the Qiantang River, which creates fast water currents and large waves. The area is also prone to frequent typhoons. These factors made the task difficult for the designers; the design and construction plan was completed only after nine years of consultation and more than 120 technical studies involving more than 700 experts around the world.
six lanes of traffic
The cable-stayed bridge design was chosen because it was deemed best to withstand adverse conditions, divergent currents, high waves, and the geological conditions of the site. The bridge was also designed to meet seismic criteria and maintains the integrity of the bridge in an earthquake up to seven on the Richter scale. The 36-kilometer bridge has six lanes, 3.75 meters each, three in each direction. The full width of the bridge will be 33 meters. Designed for 100 years of service, the bridge is 62 meters high, allowing fourth- and fifth-generation container ships to pass under the arches. The total length of the cable used in the project will be 32.2 km.
One of the main problems encountered by the builders of Hangzhou is the release of natural gas in the deep water layers along the bridge line. A special study was conducted to investigate the distribution of the gas and the characteristics of the soil at the time of the gas release. Eventually this problem was solved, and the possibility of damage to the bridge structure was eliminated.