“Remarkable” doesn’t even begin to describe the Longhua Bridge before us. It stands as a testament to modern engineering. This bridge isn’t just a way to get from one place to another. It is a symbol of connection and progress in the heart of Shenzhen.
The Longhua Bridge is part of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link. This link connects Shenzhen and Zhongshan. These are two major cities on the Pearl River Delta. The entire link is an impressive bridge-tunnel system. It stretches for 49.7 kilometers.
Think about this. The Longhua Bridge is one section of a route with a whopping cost of US$4.83 billion. It includes a 6.7 km tunnel and 19 bridges. The longest continuous bridge section spans about 22.5 km. About 15.5 km of that stretches above the sea.
Imagine the scale of this project. It has four lanes in each direction. Cars can travel at a maximum speed of 100 km/h. The Longhua Bridge is a crucial part of this route. It significantly reduces travel time. A trip from Shenzhen to Zhongshan now takes less than 30 minutes.
Before the Longhua Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, the Humen Bridge was the only crossing. It was 27 km upriver. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was another option, but it was 32 km to the south. The Longhua Bridge provides a much more direct route.
Shenzhen had wanted to be part of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge project. But, the government chose a different design. So, Shenzhen pursued its own link to Zhongshan. The idea was proposed in 2008. It was included in the Guangdong government’s plan in 2011.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, including the Longhua Bridge, officially opened on June 30, 2024. In the first month alone, over 3 million vehicles crossed it.
The Longhua Bridge also boasts some world-leading tech advancements. It features the world’s longest and widest underwater immersed steel shell-concrete tube tunnel. A new composite structure was used for the tunnel. It features a bi-directional eight-lane standard section. Also, the project introduced a new method for installing the final joint using a push-in connection technique.
The Longhua Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link embody China’s engineering. They solved extreme conditions like high temperatures and frequent typhoons. The bridge has the world’s largest offshore span suspension bridge.
Ten world records were set during its construction. These include the largest span for an offshore steel box girder suspension bridge at 1,666 meters. Also, the largest navigation clearance height for an offshore bridge at 76.5 meters. The world’s largest offshore suspension bridge anchors were built. Each contains approximately 344,000 cubic meters of concrete.
As we stand here, consider the immense effort and innovation that created the Longhua Bridge. It is more than just a structure. It is a symbol of Shenzhen’s ambition and connection to the future.