The Qiongzhou Strait (simplified Chinese: 琼州海峡; traditional Chinese: 瓊州海峽), also called the Hainan Strait, is a body of water that separates the Leizhou Peninsula in Guangdong, southern China, to the north from Hainan Island to its south. The strait connects the Gulf of Tonkin in the west to the James Shoal on the eastern edge of the South China Sea.
The strait is on average 30 kilometres (19 mi) wide[1] and centered at with a maximum water depth of approximately 120 metres (390 ft).[2]
A 140 billion RMB ($21 billion USD) bridge across the strait is planned to begin construction in 2012.[1] The bridge is currently designed to have levels for both trains and cars, and is expected to be 26.3 kilometres (16.3 mi) long.[3] Currently the strait is susceptible to closure during strong typhoon activity.[4]
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