China has built the world's longest sea bridge
The state corporation China Communications Construction has built the longest bridge in the world in China, which passes through the Strait of the Sea. According to the builders, the bridge is able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 and should last at least 120 years.
The new bridge connected Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. The length of the structure is 55 km, the construction of the bridge took eight years, its cost is estimated at 110 billion yuan (14.16 billion euros). During the construction, which lasted eight years, three artificial islands and an underwater tunnel (also the longest in the world) were created.
Here's how it all looks.
In 2018, the longest bridge in the world across the sea was commissioned, which connects Hong Kong, Macau and Zhuhai. The length of the structure is 55 km, of which 38 km falls directly on various sections of bridges. In addition, there is an underwater tunnel with a length of almost 7 km and artificial islands. The length of the main bridge is almost 30 km, there are three lanes in each direction for the movement of vehicles.
The construction has been carried out since 2009, while taking into account environmental requirements, so as not to harm the marine fauna of the region. The tunnel and sections with cable-stayed bridges were constructed in order to ensure the passage of large-tonnage ships.
The main works were completed in July 2017, and it was expected that traffic on the bridge would be launched before the end of the year. However, the coordination of border control mechanisms is still ongoing: Hong Kong and Macau, although part of the PRC, are special administrative units.
According to the creators, the bridge will be able to withstand an earthquake of magnitude 8 and will last at least 120 years.
The construction of the bridge took 420 thousand tons of steel, which is enough for the construction of 60 Eiffel Towers.
The construction will take the fourth place in the length of bridges in the world. The first three records also belong to China. The Danyang-Kunshan viaduct is on the first line of the rating. It was built in 2011 in Eastern China, its length was 164.8 km, but only 9 km of the bridge pass over the water. The second place is at the Tianjin Viaduct (113.7 km). It was opened in the same year. Both bridges are part of the Beijing-Shanghai High-Speed Railway. Completing the top three is the bridge over the Wei (79.7 km), which is part of another railway line in China. The bridge crosses the Wei River twice, as well as other rivers, highways and railways.
Keywords: Hong Kong | China | Macau | Bridge | Construction