Work starts on Hangzhou Bay bridge

Construction
of the world's longest trans-oceanic bridge started in June in Hangzhou Bay, Zhejiang
province. When it is built in five years, the 36km-long bridge will con-nect next on the
southern bank of the bay with Jiaxing on the northern bank. It will shorten the road distance
between Shanghai and Ningbo by l20kmtojust 179km.
The bridge will cost about
Yn11.8hn to build and will carry an estimated 45,000 vehicles on its six lanes during the
first year of operation. Just over half of the investment will come from domestic private
capital sources, said Xinhua.
An official said that the bridge would span 'one of the
world's most complicated sea environments'. Engineers and construction workers will
have to contend with strong tides, typhoons and 'the difficult content of the sea soil'.
Preparatory work started in 1994 and has involved help from more than 700 international
experts. The bridge will have a designed service life of 100 years.