China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

Qingdao City, Shandong Province, China - June 30, 2011

China has opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge.

The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is 26 miles (42 kilometers) long and links China's eastern port city of Qingdao to an offshore island, Huangdao.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

CCTV says the 110-foot (35-meter)-wide bridge is the longest of its kind and cost more than 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion).

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. A sign that reads: "Shandong Highway Corp. invests to operate Shandong Highway Jiaozhou Bay Bridge". Courtesy photo of Xinhua

CCTV says the bridge passed construction appraisals on Monday and the bridge and an undersea tunnel opened to traffic on Thursday.

A band plays during the opening ceremony of the Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, Shandong province in China. China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

It has taken four years to build the bridge, which is supported by more than 5,000 pillars.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

According to Guinness World Records, the previous record holder for a bridge over water is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana.
The Chinese bridge is more than 2.5 miles (4 kilometers) longer.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

The world's longest sea bridge spanning Jiaozhou Bay of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, opened to traffic today, four years after construction started.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

The 41.58-km, eight-lane Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, connecting the urban district of the city to its Huangdao district, cost 14.8 billion yuan ($2.3 billion).

Construction started in May 2007.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

The bridge will shorten the route between the two centers by 30 km, cutting travel time from more than 40 minutes to about 20 minutes, said Han Shouxin, deputy director of the city's traffic management committee.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

Previously, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world was the 36-km-long Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge that connects the cities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in East China's Zhejiang province.

Authorities expect the project to boost the development of an industrial zone in Huangdao and to facilitate the rise of foreign trade by increasing the port's handling capacity, state-run Xinhua news agency said.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

The business community have been complaining of the inconvenience of the current, less-efficient sea transport, whose operation is at the mercy of the weather.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

Han Shouxin, deputy director of Qingdao's traffic management committee, said the bridge will shorten the route between Huangdao and urban Qingdao by 30 km, cutting the travel time down from over 40 minutes to around 20 minutes.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

Before the project's completion, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge that spans across the bay of Hangzhou, in eastern Zhejiang province, was considered the world's longest cross-sea bridge.

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. Courtesy photo of Xinhua

Qingdao officials today also announced the completion of a 9.47-kilometer-long undersea tunnel that runs parallel to the bridge.

The construction of the tunnel, whose lowest part is located 81 metres below sea level, cost another 7 billion yuan.

The construction started in August 2007.

Qingdao bridge sets world record. Courtesy of China Daily

Engineers overcame huge difficulties in building the tunnel amid a complicated geological environment, said Zhou Fengjun, an academician at the Chinese Academy of Engineering.

He said the project can now serve as a textbook for the country's tunnel-construction projects, Xinhua reported.


Source: China Daily Europe / Xinhua

http://europe.chinadaily.com.cn/china/2011-06/30/content_12812695.htm  



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