China has completed construction of the Qingdao Haiwan bridge in Shandong province, and it’s significant not only for its length, but the way in which it was constructed.
Measuring in at 26.4 miles in length, the Qingdao Haiwan bridge is over three miles longer than the Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, and was constructed for a total cost of about US$8.5 billion. What’s most impressive, though, is that they managed to construct the bridge in four years, and employed 10,000 Chinese construction workers. China now holds the distinction of having five of the top six longest bridges in the world, the longest of which being the Danyang-Kunshan bridge, a high-speed rail bridge connecting Beijing and Shanghai. The Danyang-Kunshan spans over 100 miles to connect the two cities, and while its construction is complete, it’s not yet open to rail travel. The bridge is, however, scheduled to open to high-speed trains in 2011.
Measuring in at 26.4 miles in length, the Qingdao Haiwan bridge is over three miles longer than the Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, and was constructed for a total cost of about US$8.5 billion. What’s most impressive, though, is that they managed to construct the bridge in four years, and employed 10,000 Chinese construction workers. China now holds the distinction of having five of the top six longest bridges in the world, the longest of which being the Danyang-Kunshan bridge, a high-speed rail bridge connecting Beijing and Shanghai. The Danyang-Kunshan spans over 100 miles to connect the two cities, and while its construction is complete, it’s not yet open to rail travel. The bridge is, however, scheduled to open to high-speed trains in 2011.
So, yes, I suppose this means we'll be able to reuse the article's title at least once more in the coming year. Looking at the list of high-speed rail bridge projects China is now finishing, it looks like we should be able to use it at least three more times, with another two bridges, of approximately 60-mile and 40-mile spans, slated to open in the next twelve months.
Bridge photo was originally published here, under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2.
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Mike Wrightly is mostly diesel fumes and duct tape; he grew up around heavy equipment, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Mike Wrightly is mostly diesel fumes and duct tape; he grew up around heavy equipment, and holds a Bachelor's degree in Mechanical Engineering.
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