范和二桥

Gazing at the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, can you sense the weight of its world records? This marvel isn’t just a bridge-tunnel system. It’s a testament to human ingenuity, linking Shenzhen and Zhongshan across the Pearl River Delta. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link officially opened on June 30, 2024. It dramatically reduced travel time between the two cities to under 30 minutes. This project, part of China’s 13th Five-Year Plan, is a vital artery connecting the “Shenzhen-Dongguan-Huizhou” and “Zhuhai-Zhongshan-Jiangmen” urban clusters. It facilitates resource allocation, boosts the Greater Bay Area’s development, and fuels Guangdong’s high-quality growth. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link boasts impressive world records. Its bridge section, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, features the world’s longest span fully offshore steel box girder suspension bridge, with a main span of 1666 meters. It also holds the record for the highest bridge deck and navigation clearance for a sea bridge, reaching 91 meters. The supporting infrastructure is equally remarkable. Think of the enormous anchors, the largest for an offshore suspension bridge, each with a concrete volume of about 344,000 cubic meters. Imagine the force of the wind during testing, reaching a record-breaking 83.7 m/s. Even the paving is a feat, the largest steel bridge deck hot-mix epoxy asphalt paving, covering 378,800 square meters. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Tunnel, the other major component of the Link, is also a champion. It’s the world’s longest two-way eight-lane immersed tube tunnel, stretching 5,035 meters and composed of 32 tube sections and one final joint. It’s also the world’s widest underwater steel shell-concrete immersed tube tunnel, with standard tube sections measuring 165 meters long, 46 meters wide (widest point 55.6 meters), and 10.6 meters high. Constructing the tunnel required the world’s largest single-volume cast for a steel-shell immersed tube using self-compacting concrete. Each tube section used 29,000 cubic meters of concrete, totaling 910,000 cubic meters. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link also introduced the world’s first underwater expressway interchange, an airport interchange. Even the seemingly minor details are extraordinary. The final joint of the immersed tube tunnel features the world’s widest (three-meter) repeatedly foldable M-shaped water stop. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link stands as a symbol of connection and ambition. It is a modern marvel that has reshaped the landscape and accelerated the region’s progress.