The Mega Structure Holding Multiple World Records Shortens Travel Time Between Shenzhen and Zhongshan from 2 Hours to 30 Minutes.
Last weekend, China inaugurated the project connecting Shenzhen and Zhongshan, a combined bridge and underwater tunnel system located in Guangdong Province. This engineering marvel broke 10 world records upon its opening, as reported by New Atlas on July 1.
Artificial island of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan sea bridge project. (Photo: Xinhua)
The Pearl River estuary, where it flows into the South China Sea, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. This region includes Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong, separated by vast waters, making travel challenging. The Shenzhen-Zhongshan project was designed to overcome this disadvantage. The 24 km long structure connects two cities situated on opposite banks of the Pearl River estuary. However, it is not merely a long bridge; it features a tunnel running between two artificial islands, with each island connected to a city on the same side.
With 8 lanes and a maximum speed of 100 km/h, the new route reduces driving time from 2 hours to just 30 minutes. After 7 years of construction, the project was opened to traffic at 3 PM on June 30 local time. According to CGTN, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan connection set 10 world records, including the highest bridge deck (91 m), the highest navigational clearance for a sea bridge, the largest offshore suspended bridge anchorage (344,000 m³ of concrete), the highest wind resistance testing speed for a suspension bridge (83.7 m/s), the largest steel deck paved with hot-mixed epoxy asphalt (378,800 m²), the longest two-way 8-lane immersed tube tunnel, the widest underwater concrete steel-shell immersed tube (55.6 m), the largest casting volume for self-consolidating concrete used in the steel-shell immersed tube (29,000 m³ per pipe section), and the widest M-shaped water barrier capable of multiple folds used in the final joint of the immersed tube tunnel (3 m).
Moreover, the tunnel section is equipped with several remarkable safety features, including a new fire safety system. A team of 14 robots regularly patrols the tunnel, monitoring pipes and cables to ensure everything runs smoothly and even keeping an eye out for car accidents. When such incidents occur, they can direct traffic through integrated speakers, record the scene, and transmit it to a remote control center.
The lights along the tunnel walls also use a color-coding system. When everything is normal, the lights are green, but in emergencies, they switch to red. Additionally, the lighting system can transition from yellow to green along the length of the tunnel, guiding people in the correct direction during an evacuation.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan project connects to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge, the longest sea bridge in the world located just 31 km away, making it easier for people to travel around these densely populated areas.
