Bridges:HK-Zhuhai-Macao

[GWR]

World's longest sea-spanning bridge to open near Shanghai

HANGZHOU, Feb 27 (Xinhua) -- A 36-kilometer bridge, the world's longest sea-spanning structure, will soon open to traffic, an official in the eastern province of Zhejiang said on Tuesday.

The bridge, spanning Hangzhou Bay near Shanghai, will cut the length of the road trip from Shanghai to Ningbo, a busy port in Zhejiang, by 120 km. It is designed to last 100 years.

The bridge is a cable-stayed structure built at a cost of 11.8 billion yuan (1.64 billion U.S. dollars), according to Xue Zhen'an, deputy director of Zhejiang Provincial Traffic Bureau.

Construction of the six-lane bridge, which will have a speed limit of 100 km per hour, began in November 2003 and ended in June 2007, Xu said.

The bridge would boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta, which covers almost 100,000 sq km encompassing Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu and is home to 72.4 million people, he added. (Xinhua)

Last Update : 15:09:47 27 February 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=3012

[jpatokal]

The record will be overtaken by the 45 km Qatar-Bahrain bridge... if they ever start building it, but odds seem fairly high it'll finally go forward this year, with construction scheduled to start in May 2008.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Qatar%E2%80%93Bahrain_Friendship_Bridge
http://www.itbhu.org/chronicle/archives/vkraina/Introduction-to-Bahrain-Qatar-Causeway-Sea-Link.pdf

[GWR]

HK, Macau, Guangdong in deal to build bridge
Reuters

HONG KONG -- Hong Kong, Macau and the southern Chinese province of Guangdong have reached agreement on the partial funding of a bridge linking the three, a project that will cost a total 42.2 billion yuan (US$5.9 billion), media reported.

The South China Morning Post reported that the governments of the three regions would need to pay HK$20 billion (US$2.6 billion), with Hong Kong contributing 50.2 percent, Guangdong 35.1 percent and Macau 14.7 percent.

The rest of the funding would be sought from the private sector through public bidding, the Xinhua news agency said, citing remarks by Guangdong Governor Huang Huahua on the sidelines of the annual session of China's parliament, the National People's Congress.

The total cost is higher than earlier projections for the 29.6 km (18 mile) bridge and does not include the cost of building and operating cross-border facilities and connecting roads, the Post reported.

The authorities in Hong Kong and Macau, which are both special administrative regions of China, and in Guangdong have said they would cover the difference between the construction costs and the investment by the winning private bidder.

The bridge will connect Zhuhai, a city in the southwest of the Pearl River Delta in Guangdong province, to the rest of the delta area and will slash travel times to Hong Kong. Currently, only ferries connects Zhuhai and Macau with Hong Kong.

The western shore of the delta is less economically vibrant than northern Guangdong, the world's factory for everything from clothing to toys, due to its relative inaccessibility.

Bridge operators will be able to charge vehicles for using the bridge for 50 years, although they should be able to recoup their costs in 36-+years, Huang said.

Environmental groups say the bridge could further endanger pink dolphins in the delta. Only about 1,000 are left.

More research and environmental assessments are needed, Huang said.

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/business/china%20ex%20hk/2008/03/10/146467/HK%2DMacau.htm

[GWR]

http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=3012

Although JPatakol has pointed out that the 45 Km. Qatar - Bahrain link will soon overtake it:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=20156&postcount=2

World's longest sea bridge to open in east China

JIAXING/NINGBO, Zhejiang Province, May 1 (Xinhua) -- China will inaugurate the world's longest sea crossing bridge on Thursday as part of effort to boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta.

The opening ceremony of the 36-km bridge, which spans Hangzhou Bay near Shanghai, will be held Thursday afternoon and will open to traffic on a trial operation basis at midnight.

The bridge links Haiyan, Jiaxing City to Cixi, Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province.

It will cut the length of the road trip from Shanghai to Ningbo, a busy port, by 120 km. It is designed to last 100 years.

The bridge, with a 32-km section spanning the sea, is a cable-stayed structure built at a cost of 11.8 billion yuan (1.69 billion U.S. dollars).

Construction of the six-lane bridge, which will allow a speed of 100 km per hour, began in November 2003.

As a shortcut between Zhejiang and Shanghai, the bridge is expected to greatly alleviate traffic flow in the booming Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo triangle.

It will also help boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta, which covers almost 100,000 sq km of land comprising Shanghai, Zhejiang and Jiangsu and is home to 72.4 million people. (Xinhua)

Today In Asia : Last Update : 12:28:32 1 May 2008 (GMT+7:00)
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4062

[jpatokal]

Although JPatakol has pointed out that the 45 Km. Qatar - Bahrain link will soon overtake it:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=20156&postcount=2
Despite my earlier comments, I wouldn't say "soon" -- construction on the Qatar-Bahrain link hasn't started yet, and I don't think they've even completed the tenders yet. :(

[GWR]

Although JPatakol has pointed out that the 45 Km. Qatar - Bahrain link will soon overtake it:
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/showpost.php?p=20156&postcount=2
http://enews.mcot.net/view.php?id=4062

Friday, May 2, 2008
China opens world's longest cross-sea bridge between Shanghai and Ningbo
Reuters

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/news_images/20080502/p2c.jpg
[Photo: The China Post - In this photo released by China’s Xinhua News Agency, vehicles drive on the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, Hangzhou Bay Bridge, in Haiyan, east China’s Zhejiang Province, Thursday. China formally opened what it says is the world’s longest sea-crossing structure Thursday, a 36-kilometer (22-mile) bridge spanning a bay just south of the eastern business hub of Shanghai.(AP)]

SHANGHAI -- China opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge on Thursday, linking the financial hub of Shanghai with the booming port city of Ningbo, the official Xinhua news agency said.

A ceremony in the middle of the 36-km (22.4-mile) cable-stayed structure, which spans Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang Province south of Shanghai, marked the official opening before several hundred spectators, Xinhua said.

The 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.7 billion) span will open to traffic on a trial basis at midnight, shortening travel time between Shanghai and Ningbo, two key port cities in China's prosperous Yangtze River Delta, to two-and-a-half hours from four.

Trucks, overloaded vehicles and vehicles carrying dangerous chemicals will be barred from the bridge during the trial period, Xinhua said.

"We haven't decided how long the trial operation period will last. That depends ... on the bridge condition, and we need time to improve management about its operation," it quoted Jin Jianming, deputy chief commander of the bridge construction project, as saying.

The bridge is China's first major public infrastructure project to receive investment from the country's private sector, which funded almost 30 percent of the cost, the report said.

China, the world's fourth-largest economy, is spending heavily on infrastructure to maintain its double digit rates of economic growth. It began construction of the bridge in November 2003.
http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national%20news/2008/05/02/154540/China%2Dopens.htm

[GWR]

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/national%20news/2008/05/02/154540/China%2Dopens.htm

Hundreds of Chinese drivers fined for slow-drive on scenic bridge
Reuters

BEIJING -- China opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge last week aiming to cut travel time between two major ports, but hundreds of drivers have been fined already for, unexpectedly, driving too slow to enjoy the view.

The 36-km (22.4-mile) structure spans Hangzhou Bay in the booming province of Zhejiang, designed to slash travel time between its port city of Ningbo and the financial hub Shanghai from four hours to two and a half.

But since its opening on May 1, police have fined more than 300 drivers, most for driving too slowly or illegal parking on the emergency lanes while enjoying the ocean view and taking photos, local media reported on Monday.

"I just wanted to drive a bit slowly and enjoy the sea breeze. Is that wrong?" Zhejiang's official news portal (www.zjol.com.cn) quoted an unnamed driver as complaining.

Long lines of cars carrying whole families eager to see the bridge and sea vista have caused serious traffic problems and led to a series of accidents, the news portal said.

Some drivers busted for illegal parking even posed in front of police cameras, hoping to turn police snapshots into souvenirs, it said.

"Traffic jams should be impossible under normal circumstances given the capacity of the bridge," the news portal said.

The US$1.7-billion bridge's much publicized "sightseeing platforms" in the middle of the span will not be ready for tourists for another two years, local media have reported.
http://www.angkor.com/2bangkok/2bangkok/forum/newreply.php?do=newreply&p=20917

[GWR]

http://www.chinapost.com.tw/china/business/china%20ex%20hk/2008/03/10/146467/HK%2DMacau.htm

Macao to invest nearly 300 mil USD on bridge

05/08/2008 -- 9:37 PM
Beijing (VNA) - Macao will contribute 1.98 billion yuan (289 million USD) to the building the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Macao Special Administrative Region (SAR) government announced on August 5.

The construction of the bridge has been agreed "in principle" by the central government, Xinhua news agency reported, citing the Macao SAR government’s press statement.

The bridge will connect Zhuhai, a mainland coastal city neighboring Macao, to the rest of the Pearl River Delta area and will slash travel times to the two SARs. Currently only ferries connect Zhuhai and Macao with Hong Kong .

The construction of the bridge can be started no later than 2010, the SAR government said. In addition to Macao’s investment, Hong Kong will invest 6.75 billion yuan (985 million USD) while the Chinese mainland will invest up to 7 billion yuan (1.02 billion USD) on the project, according to the statement.

The rest will be paid through a financing arrangement jointly worked out by the three governments.-Enditem
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