Hangzhou Bridge in China

The bridge over Hangzhou Bay (Hangzhou, China) is an additional confirmation that jokes about the low quality of things released in the Middle Kingdom are not always appropriate. It represents one of the most grandiose of this kind of engineering structures on our planet and is characterized by incredible beauty. Its length is 36 kilometers.

Design

Long-term studies and consultations on the possibility of building a bridge in this place began in 1994 and lasted for nine years. In the process of creating his project, the best experts and architects from all corners of our planet were attracted, of which there are altogether more than seven hundred. As a result of painstaking work, the developers agreed on the idea that the bridge in Hangzhou, the photo of which is presented below, should be supported by powerful cables, as it will allow it to better counter complex geological conditions at the bottom, multidirectional water streams, and high waves characteristic for the construction site. As a result, according to the statement of the creators, this object is able to withstand even an earthquake with a capacity of seven points on the Richter scale.

Building

The Hangzhou Bridge in China began to be built in June 2003. Five years later all the works were completed, and a year later a grand opening was held. It should be noted that casting of all knots and construction of structures was carried out on the mainland. After that, the nodes were transported to the erected part, where they were installed using giant floating cranes. In order to fly quickly to each other clearly, the builders constantly used more than fifty GPS systems.

the main problem

The main problem that Chinese engineers had to solve before erecting the Hangzhou Bridge was the natural gas emissions characteristic of deep water layers along its main line. In the course of a number of special studies of soil characteristics characteristic of this process, it was excluded. Thus, the possibility of damaging the structure of this engineering structure for this reason has completely disappeared.

Opening

As it was mentioned above, the object was put into operation in 2009. The opening ceremony, which was very pompous, was attended by many people. At the solemn event dedicated to this event, chief engineer Vang Yong proudly declared that Hangzhou is the longest bridge in the world. Moreover, the expert stressed that the project was implemented in the most difficult environmental conditions, because there is a current flowing into the top three on the planet, typhoons quite often occur. At the end, the engineer emphasized that this bridge became one of the most important not only directly in China, but also on the whole Earth.

general description

The transoceanic bridge of Hangzhou crosses the eponymous bay, which is part of the East China Sea, as well as the Qiantang River, which is located in the Yangtze Delta. As already mentioned above, its total length is 36 kilometers. This architectural structure is designed and erected in the form of the English letter "S". It is a component part of the highway of the Chinese east coast, due to which the northern and southern parts of the state are interconnected. The bridge originates in the city of Jiaksin, and ends at Nimbo. Based on the design documentation, the building is designed for a hundred-year guaranteed service. In other words, a small reconstruction of it will be required not earlier than at the beginning of the next century.

It should be noted that the facility consists of nine sections and boasts the availability of a modern system to protect against potential shipwrecks and damage it as a result. The designers took into account the seismological features of the region through which it passes, so its integrity will not be disturbed even if there are quite strong earthquakes.

Main characteristics

According to statistics, the Hangzhou Bridge daily passes on average about 50 thousand various vehicles. In each direction, there are three lanes. The total width of the carriageway is 33 meters. The spans are located above the water quite high (at a height of 62 meters), which makes it possible to miss various ships, including container ships, which belong to the fourth and fifth generation. The total length of the cable used to support the Hangzhou Bridge is 32.2 kilometers. The speed limit on this facility is set at 100 kilometers per hour.

The GPS systems mentioned above, which were used at the construction stage of the facility, are now used to monitor the current state of flights and nodes for stability, and in the event of potential danger or any deviations, they will warn the operating personnel about it.

Island

In the very center of the bridge is an island with an area of ten thousand square meters, which is intended for resting drivers. There are a number of opportunities for travelers here. These include gas stations, restaurants, hotels and even an observation deck. Due to this the island enjoys a rather high popularity among tourists. Many of them come here only to get an opportunity to see the world-famous river stream with their own eyes. They are also attracted to public recreation parks. To prevent destruction, the island is equipped with modern monitoring and safety systems and built on a pier.

Positive effect

The Hangzhou Bridge immediately after its appearance had a positive impact on the development of the entire region. The local governor soon after the opening said that in the delta of the Yangtze River , the efficiency of the transport network has significantly increased. In addition, the process of the region's economic development has also been accelerated. One can not but note the still so important nuance, which is to reduce the distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 120 kilometers. In other words, the travel time from one important city to another was cut in half - up to two hours.

Main investors and contractors

According to the main investors of the project, the Hangzhou Bridge became a sign of the continued growth of the economic power of the entire state. They have every reason to say so, since after its discovery in the economic development of the region there was a strong leap. The project cost of the facility was about 1.4 billion US dollars. 18 million dollars were contributed by seventeen private enterprises that are located in the region. The largest such investor was the group Songcheg, whose investments are estimated at 17.3% of its fixed capital.

The main contractor of the project is the company China Railway Bridge Bureau Co Ltd. The international company Ty Lin has developed a bridge project. For maintenance and counseling, the Hardesty & Hanover Corporation, known all over the world, was responsible. The contract for the supply of shipwreck protection systems was signed with Ben C Gerwick.