[photopress:hangzhou_bay_bridge.jpg,full,alignright]The Hangzhou Bay Bridge will, when finished, span 36 kilometres across the East China Sea. When it opens next year, it will be the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world. If it could be moved to the straits of Dover it would link England with France.
It is costing RMB11.8 billion ($1.54) of which 70% is being put up by private sources and 30% by state agencies. They will see their investment back via tolls and lower transport costs.
By shortening the journey time from the port of Ningbo to the economic powerhouse of Shanghai by a couple of hours, the bridge will further stimulate regional growth to the tune of as much as 15% a year.
The bridge is also the last link in the motorway linking Beijing and the north to the booming eastern and southern seaboard. This is fixed asset investment. In China fixed asset investment accounts for more than 50% of the national income (against 14% in the UK) — more than any major economy anywhere in history in peacetime.
Source: The Independent
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