Skip to main content

China's massive bridge opens

The world's largest bridge over water is now open to traffic. Measuring over 42km long the bridge links China's eastern port city of Qingdao with Huangdao Island.
February 15, 2012 Read time: 1 min
The world's largest bridge over water is now open to traffic. Measuring over 42km long the bridge links China's eastern port city of Qingdao with Huangdao Island. The new bridge is expected to carry traffic volumes of around 30,000 vehicles/day. During its construction close to 2.3 million m3 of concrete was poured, while it features over 5,000 pillars in its design. Construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge required a team estimated to number 10,000. The bridge is 4km longer than the structure that previously held the record as the world's longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. Estimates vary as to the cost of the project and China's Government has said the cost exceeded US$1 billion, although some experts suggest it could have cost up to $8.8 billion to construct.

Related Content

  • New Russian bridge to span Volga
    July 6, 2020
    A new Russian bridge is planned to span the River Volga.
  • Major Central American infrastructure projects
    February 23, 2012
    Mexico and Central America are home to some of the world's most spectacular infrastructure projects as Patrick Smith reports
  • Gas offers vehicle fuel future
    July 20, 2012
    In what could help fuel widespread adoption of natural gas-powered (NG) vehicles in the US and globally, GE researchers, in partnership with Chart Industries and scientists at the University of Missouri, have been awarded a programme through Advanced Research Projects Agency for Energy (ARPA-E) to develop an affordable at-home refuelling station that would meet ARPA-E’s target of $500 per station and reduce re-fuelling times from 5-8 hours to less than 1 hour.
  • Hoover Dam’s innovative new bridge bypass
    April 12, 2013
    Soaring over 271m above the Colorado River, the Hoover Dam Bypass overlooks one of America’s greatest icons and assets. The October 2010 opening of the bypass improves the security of the historic Hoover Dam by removing through traffic from US Route 93. This has reduced its vulnerability to a terrorist attack against an international landmark and guarded the most sustainable source of electricity and the scarce water supply for the entire southwestern United States. By diverting traffic from the hairpin tur