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Xihoumen Bridge – China
The Xihoumen Bridge (simplified Chinese: 西堠门大桥; traditional Chinese: 西堠門大橋) is a suspension bridge built on the Zhoushan Archipelago, the largest offshore island group in China. The main span was completed in December 2007. The entire bridge, along with Jintang Bridge, was opened to traffic on a test basis on 25 December 2009. It is the second-longest suspension bridge ranked by the length of the centre span. The opening date was put off because of a ship collision on 16 November 2009 that slightly damaged the side of Jintang Bridge.
The 5.3-kilometre-long suspension bridge connection has a 2.6-kilometre-long main bridge with a central span of 1,650 metres. The approaches total 2.7 kilometres. When it opened, there was only one bridge with a larger span, the Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge in Japan. However, there are several other bridges planned or under construction that will also be larger.
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Huanglong, Sichuan – CHINA
Huanglong (simplified Chinese: 黄龙; traditional Chinese: 黃龍; pinyin: Huánglóng; literally “yellow dragon”) is a scenic and historic interest area in the northwest part of Sichuan, People’s Republic of China. It is located in the southern part of the Minshan mountain range, 150 kilometres (93 mi) north-northwest of the capital Chengdu. This area is known for its colorful pools formed by calcite deposits, especially in Huanglonggou (Yellow Dragon Gully), as well as diverse forest ecosystems, snow-capped peaks, waterfalls and hot springs. Huanglong is also home to many endangered species including the Giant Panda and the Sichuan Golden Snub-nosed Monkey. Huanglong was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1992.
Due to thousands of years of geological evolution, Huanglong consists of numerous unique landscapes of geological landforms. Glacial revolution, terrane structure, stratum of carbonic acid rock, tufa water and climatic conditions such as artic-alpine sun light have created this world-famous travertine landscape.
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The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge – China
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a roadway bridge in eastern China’s Shandong province. It transects Jiaozhou Bay, connecting Huangdao District, the city of Qingdao and Hongdao Island (the bridge is “T” shaped with 3 entry/exit points). Opened on 30 June 2011, it reduces the road distance between Qingdao and Huangdao. The bridge opened at the same time as the nearby Qing-Huang Tunnel, both part of the Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project.
Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is 42.5 kilometres (26.4 mi) long, making it according to Guinness World Records the world’s longest bridge over water (aggregate length) as of July 2011. The longest bridge over water “continuous length” is the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, the difference being the later runs continuously over water while Jiaozhou Bay Bridge has parts over land. It is estimated Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is over water for 25.5 kilometres (15.8 mi).
The bridge took four years to build, and employed at least 10,000 people. 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge, which was designed by the Shandong Gaosu Group. It is designed to be able to withstand severe earthquakes, typhoons, and collisions with ships. The bridge is supported by more than 5,000 pillars, 35 metres (115 ft) wide, carrying six lanes and two shoulders, and cost more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion).
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