| Jiaozhou Bay Bridge | |
|---|---|
| Carries | Motor vehicles |
| Crosses | Jiaozhou Bay |
| Locale | between Qingdao and Huangdao District, China |
| Designer | Shandong Gaosu Group |
| Design | Self-anchored suspension bridge and Cable-stayed bridge |
| Material | Prestressed concrete |
| Total length | 41.58 kilometres (25.84 mi) |
| Construction begin | late 2007 |
| Construction end | early 2011 |
| Opened | 30 June 2011 |
| Daily traffic | expected 30,000 |
| Jiaozhou Bay Bridge | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simplified Chinese | 胶州湾大桥 | ||||||||||||||
| Traditional Chinese | 膠州灣大橋 | ||||||||||||||
| Literal meaning | Jiaozhou Bay Bridge | ||||||||||||||
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Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a roadway bridge in eastern China's Shandong province. It transects Jiaozhou Bay, connecting Huangdao District, the city of Qingdao and Hongdao Island (the bridge is "T" shaped with 3 entry/exit points, see map).[1] Opened on 30 June 2011, it reduces the road distance between Qingdao and Huangdao.[2][3] The bridge opened at the same time as the nearby Qing-Huang Tunnel, both part of the Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project.[4]
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 42.5 kilometres (26.4 mi) long, making it according to Guinness World Records the world's longest bridge over water (aggregate length) as of July 2011[update].[2][3][5][6][7] The longest bridge over water "continuous length" is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway,[8] the difference being the latter runs continuously over water while Jiaozhou Bay Bridge has parts over land. It is estimated Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is over water for 25.5 kilometres (15.8 mi).[9]
The cost of the bridge stated by the official state-run television company CCTV reported the cost being 10 billion yuan ($1.5 billion). However, other sources have stated higher costs.[10]
The bridge took four years to build, and employed at least 10,000 people.[2] 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge, which was designed by the Shandong Gaosu Group.[2] It is designed to be able to withstand severe earthquakes, typhoons, and collisions with ships.[2] The bridge is supported by more than 5,000 pillars, 35 metres (115 ft) wide, carrying six lanes and two shoulders, and cost more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion).
On the same day the bridge opened, the Qing-Huang Tunnel opened.[1] It also transects Jiaozhou Bay, also connecting Huangdao District and the city of Qingdao, between the narrow mouth of the bay which is 6.17 kilometres (3.83 mi) wide. The tunnel is 9.47 kilometres (5.88 mi) long.[1]
Concerns regarding the bridge's safety were raised when Chinese media reported that the bridge was opened with faulty elements,such as "incomplete crash-barriers, missing lighting and loose nuts on guard-rails", with workers stating that "it would take two months before finishing all of the projects related to the bridge".[11] Shao Xinpeng, the bridge's chief engineer, claimed that in spite of the safety report the bridge was safe and ready for traffic, adding that the problems highlighted in the reports were not major.
