Work on Pearl River double-deck bridge progressing smoothly

Previously, the projections for economic development tended to be on the conservative side, said Zhang, adding that all the across-sea links in the regions, including Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, Nansha, Humen, and Huangpu bridges, operated in red (all witnessed heavy traffic jams) during the National Day and Mid-Autumn festival holidays in the first eight days of October.

Shiziyang Link that connects Guangzhou's Nansha district and Dongguan is sandwiched by Nansha Bridge, 3.8 kilometers to the north, and Humen Bridge, 7.7 kilometers to the south. It is designed to reach a speed of 100 kilometers an hour.

Cui Bing, a National Master of Engineering Survey and Design, said the state of the art project leads the world in diameter of the anchor foundation (130 meters), height of steel plate composite tower (342 meters), span of double-layer suspension bridge (2,180 meters), scale of main Cable (1.5 meter-diameter) and number of lanes (double-deck two-way 8 lanes ).

The bridge's "world firsts" might not be the first in 10 to 20 years, but the design, technology, philosophy, methods, and structure of the bridge will influence the design and construction of bridges worldwide in the future, said Cui, who is chief engineer of China Communications Construction Company (CCCC) Highway Consultants Co Ltd.

"And the design of the project adheres to the principles of economy, applicability, greenness, durability, and resistance to multiple disasters," he added.

Meanwhile, Lianghuashan Link, which links Guangzhou's Panyu district to Dongguan city has also been planned and is expected to start construction in the 15th five-year-plan period 2026-30, said Xu Jun, deputy chief engineer of CCCC Highway Consultants Co Ltd. Relevant departments will soon decide whether it is a bridge or tunnel that operates across the Pearl River estuary.

And the Lingdingyang Link, which connects Shenzhen and Zhuhai, has also been planned to further advance ties between the two Chinese special economic zones. Lingdingyang Link will be a railway and highway dual-purpose link.