China has unveiled the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a vast infrastructure project spanning the Pearl River Estuary in Guangdong Province, South China. This new cross-sea tunnel and bridge system has reportedly achieved 10 world records, including several engineering achievements.
China Introduces the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link
The newly introduced link spans 24 kilometers (15 miles) and connects Shenzhen and Zhongshan, two cities on opposite sides of the Pearl River Estuary. It features an underwater tunnel flanked by two artificial islands, with each linked to the adjacent city by bridges.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, designed to alleviate congestion in one of the world's most densely populated regions, promises to significantly reduce travel times.
Previously, the journey between the cities took two hours, but now it reportedly takes just 30 minutes. This is facilitated by the eight-lane configuration, which allows speeds of up to 100 kilometers per hour (62 mph).
After seven years of construction, the link officially opened to traffic. Officials from Guangdong Province highlight its strategic importance, emphasizing its potential to reshape the road network across the Pearl River Estuary and boost economic and social growth in the Greater Bay Area (GBA).
This ambitious project also follows other significant infrastructure developments in the region, such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, positioning the GBA as a hub of connectivity and economic activity.
China Achieves 10 World Records
According to the China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link has achieved 10 specific world records. These reported records include the following:
1. Highest bridge deck: 91 meters (299 feet).
2. Highest navigation clearance for a sea bridge.
3. Largest offshore suspension bridge anchor: 344,000 cubic meters (12 million cubic feet) of concrete.
4. Largest span for a fully offshore steel box girder suspension bridge: 1,666 meters (5,466 feet).
5. Largest steel bridge deck with hot-mix epoxy asphalt paving: 378,800 square meters (4 million square feet).
6. Longest two-way, eight-lane immersed tube tunnel: 5,035 meters (16,519 feet).
7. Highest wind resistance test speed for a suspension bridge: 83.7 meters per second (273.6 feet per second).
8. Widest underwater steel shell-concrete immersed tube tunnel: up to 55.6 meters (182.4 feet).
9. Widest repeatedly foldable M-shaped water stop used in the final joint of an immersed tube tunnel: 3 meters (9.8 feet).
10. Largest single-volume cast for a steel-shell immersed tube using self-compacting concrete: 29,000 cubic meters (1 million cubic feet) per tube section.
The project also introduces several firsts in transportation infrastructure, including the world's first underwater expressway interchange and airport interchange.
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