Hangzhou Bay Bridge, Cable-stayed bridge in Jiaxing, China
The Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a cable-stayed road bridge extending approximately 22.2 miles (35.7 kilometers) across Hangzhou Bay, connecting Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province.
Feasibility studies for a bridge across Hangzhou Bay ran for over a decade before final plans were approved in 2003. Construction began in November 2003, and the northern and southern sections were joined on June 14, 2007. An opening ceremony followed on June 26, 2007, but the bridge opened to the public only on May 1, 2008, after testing.
The bridge cut the Ningbo–Shanghai highway route from 400 km to 180 km and travel time from four hours to two, improving access to the Port of Ningbo at Beilun. Its name in Wu is Han-tseu-uae du-jiau. The 10,000 m² service area on its artificial island, damaged by fire on 23 March 2010, gives drivers a rest stop with a restaurant, fuel station, hotel, conference room and observation tower.
The bridge carries six lanes of the G15 Shenyang-Haikou Expressway and the G92 Hangzhou Bay Ring Expressway, cutting travel time between cities from four hours to two hours.
Midway across the bridge stands an artificial island service center covering about 107,640 square feet (10,000 square meters) with shops, restaurants, a hotel, and a lookout tower rising 478 feet (145.6 meters) tall.
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