Didn’t they say impossible is nothing? Here we are at the Mazhu Bridge. It is part of the incredible Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. This link connects Shenzhen and Zhongshan. They are two major cities in the Pearl River Delta.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is a marvel. It is a bridge and tunnel system. It stretches an impressive 49.7 kilometers. That’s about 30.9 miles. It starts near Bao’an International Airport in Shenzhen.
Imagine cutting your travel time drastically. Before the Mazhu Bridge existed the trip between Shenzhen and Zhongshan took two hours. Now? Less than 30 minutes.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link project wasn’t without its hurdles. Shenzhen initially wanted to be part of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. But the central government chose a different design. This left Shenzhen out. The idea for a separate link to Zhongshan emerged in 2008. There were concerns that it could hurt the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. But Guangdong province included it in their 12th five-year plan in 2011.
The link includes a 6.7 km tunnel on the Shenzhen side. It also has 19 bridges, totaling 43 km. The longest continuous bridge section is about 22.5 km. Around 15.5 km of that stretches over the sea. There are four lanes in each direction. The maximum speed is 100 km/h. That’s about 62 mph.
The Mazhu Bridge is more than just concrete and steel. It is a record-breaker. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link boasts 10 world records. These are not just any records. They are hilariously specific.
It has the largest span for a fully offshore steel box girder suspension bridge. This measures 1,666 meters. That’s 5,466 ft. The bridge deck reaches a height of 91 meters. That’s 299 ft. This makes it the highest bridge deck. It also has the highest navigation clearance for a sea bridge.
The largest offshore suspension bridge anchor is found here. It uses 344,000 cubic meters of concrete. That’s 12 million cubic ft. It also boasts the highest wind resistance test speed for a suspension bridge. This goes up to 83.7 meters per second. That’s 273.6 ft per second. The bridge also has the largest steel bridge deck with hot-mix epoxy asphalt paving. It covers 378,800 square meters. That is 4 million square ft.
The underwater tunnel is also record-breaking. It is the longest two-way, eight-lane immersed tube tunnel. It measures 5,035 meters. That’s 16,519 ft. It is the widest underwater steel shell-concrete immersed tube tunnel. It reaches up to 55.6 meters wide. That’s 182.4 ft.
The tunnel is equipped with advanced safety features. These include firefighting and smoke exhaust systems. A team of 14 robots patrols the tunnel. They monitor pipes and cables. They can even direct traffic via loudspeakers during accidents. They also film the scene. Then they transmit it to a remote control center. Lights along the walls change color. They are green when all is well. They turn red in emergencies.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link is a transportation backbone. It is key to the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area. After opening, there were over 3 million vehicle crossings in the first month.
As we stand here on the Mazhu Bridge, remember the vision. Think about the engineering. Consider the impact it has on connecting cities and people. The Mazhu Bridge is not just a crossing. It is a symbol of progress. It is a testament to human ingenuity.