Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge

Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge

The Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge is a sea-crossing bridge spanning the Hangzhou Bay in China. It stretches from Zhengjiadai in Haiyan, Jiaxing, Zhejiang in the north to Shuiluwan in Cixi, Ningbo in the south, with a total length of 36 kilometers. It is currently the longest cross-sea bridge in the world, surpassing the 25-kilometer King Fahd Causeway that connects Bahrain and Saudi Arabia by 11 kilometers. It has become a candidate for the World Record of the Longest Cross-sea Bridge by the China World Records Association and ranks as the second-longest bridge in the world after the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in the United States.

This national expressway stretches 3,710 kilometers and consists of multiple sections of expressways from different provinces (and municipalities). If the mileage markers were numbered continuously from the starting point to the endpoint, the overly large marker numbers would make it difficult for drivers to determine how far they have traveled within a particular province, and would also hinder local highway authorities in managing the road. Therefore, in accordance with the "National Expressway Network Plan" compiled by the Ministry of Transport, each province independently establishes its own mileage marker system.

The Shenhai Expressway runs from north to south, entering Zhejiang from Jiangsu. The section connecting to the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge is the northern approach bridge in Jiaxing. Currently, the first phase of this project has been completed. The construction of the second phase, which extends the northern approach bridge further north into Jiangsu and connects with the Sutong Bridge in Nantong, was completed in 2010. The border between Jiangsu and Zhejiang marks the zero-kilometer point of the Zhejiang section of the Shenhai Expressway.

From the zero-kilometer point to the starting point of the northern approach bridge is 49 kilometers, and adding the 36-kilometer length of the bridge brings you to 85 kilometers upon reaching the shore in Ningbo. In the future, this mileage marker will continue uninterrupted until it exits Zhejiang at Wenzhou.

Once completed, the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge shortens the land distance between Ningbo and Shanghai by 120 kilometers, serving as a convenient passage for the national trunk line Tong-San Line crossing Hangzhou Bay. The bridge is designed as a two-way six-lane expressway, with a design speed of 100 km/h, a service life of 100 years, and a total investment of approximately 14 billion yuan. Construction began on November 14, 2003, and after 43 months of building, the entire bridge was connected on June 26, 2007. The bridge deck paving was planned to be completed by November 30, 2007, and it has now officially opened to traffic. The Olympic torch relay for the 2008 Beijing Olympics passed over the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge.

(1) The weather in Hangzhou Bay is complex and changeable, with frequent occurrences of typhoons, tornadoes, thunderstorms, and sudden small-scale disastrous weather. The natural conditions of Hangzhou Bay have the following characteristics: (1) The sea area is wide, with many typhoons, large tidal ranges, fast currents, and typical maritime climate features, resulting in fewer effective working days;

(2) The thick soft soil layer and deep bearing stratum pose a series of challenges for offshore foundation design and construction;

(3) The long muddy foreshore on the southern bank leads to complex construction conditions, making it difficult for conventional design schemes and construction methods to meet the schedule requirements;

(4) The environment is highly corrosive;

(5) Multiple areas on the southern muddy foreshore have shallow gas accumulations, posing risks to construction safety.

The main investment in the Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge came from the Zhejiang provincial government and private enterprises in Zhejiang, without relying on national funding, showcasing Zhejiang’s strength. It has also become a landmark of Zhejiang. The total investment in the bridge is expected to exceed 16.1 billion yuan. Of this, the bridge itself, which is 36 kilometers long, cost 11.8 billion yuan; the 29.1-kilometer northern approach road cost 1.7 billion yuan; and the 55.3-kilometer southern approach road cost 3.4 billion yuan. Private capital accounted for half of the total investment, with private enterprises such as Youngor, Fotile Kitchenware, and Haitong Group all participating in the bridge’s investment. The toll collection period for the bridge is 30 years, with a proposed toll fee of 80 yuan per vehicle.

The bridge has two navigational channels, north and south. The north channel bridge is a diamond-type double-tower, double-cable-plane steel box girder cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 448 meters and a navigation standard of 35,000 tons; the south channel bridge is an A-type single-tower, double-cable-plane steel box girder cable-stayed bridge with a main span of 318 meters and a navigation standard of 3,000 tons. Apart from the north and south channel bridges, the other approach spans use pre-stressed concrete continuous box girder structures ranging from 30 to 80 meters.

The economic benefits of the bridge itself are an important foundation for attracting investors. According to traffic flow surveys, it is estimated that in 2009, 8.6 million vehicles will pass over the bridge, 80 million in 2015, and 96 million in 2027. Calculations show that the bridge's financial internal rate of return will reach 8.03–10.1%, with an investment payback period of 14.2 years, an investment return rate of 15.10% (excluding the construction period) and 12.58% (including the construction period).

The bridge was designed, managed, invested in, and built by China itself. The project set six world or national records, using an amount of steel equivalent to seven “Bird’s Nests” (Beijing National Stadium) and concrete equivalent to ten National Centre for the Performing Arts. It can withstand typhoons of force 12 or higher.

Address: Cixi City, Ningbo, Zhejiang Province

Type: Bridge

Recommended visiting time: Approximately 1 hour

Opening hours:

Open all day

Ticket information:

No admission fee required.