In this new world order governed on the planet, China not only has an important place, it has everything it can to pursue. Take for example the mega construction of a 24-kilometer bridge with underwater tunnels. Normally, such a project can take more than a decade if there are no delays. In China, they launched the new crown jewel of their architecture, the Shenzhen-Zhongsham Bridge, in 2017. It is now finished.

The wonder has opened. The main news came last weekend. China announced with great fanfare the completion and opening of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a new system of bridges and tunnels over the sea in the southern Guangdong province of the country. From an architectural perspective, we are faced with an unusual situation.

A pharaoh’s work. A few kilometers away from another of the country’s architectural gems, the Hong Kong-Zhuylai Macao (the world’s longest sea bridge, at 55 kilometers long), China set out in 2017 to build an architecture that is different in complexity from almost all known bridges. Not because of its length, but because of its complex structure (there is an underwater tunnel running between two artificial islands in the middle, at 24 kilometers, and bridges connecting each island to the city on that side).

The rush was due to the condition of the area. The Pearl River Estuary, where the river flows into the South China Sea, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It covers nine cities in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong, separated by bodies of water, making getting around a pain in the neck. The bridge was the solution, connecting the two cities that bear its name. The plan: to be ready by 2024.

Bridge of records. We soon realised they were serious. They had broken a world record by paving over 22,600 square metres in a single day. The eight-lane link, which allows speeds of up to 100 km/h, apparently reduces a normally two-hour journey to 30 minutes.

After seven years of construction, it finally opened to traffic on June 30. There are at least eleven world records behind it, according to China Global Television Network (CGTN). Of course, they are very specific:

• Longest span for steel box girder suspension bridge (1,666 meters)
• Highest bridge deck (91 meters)
• Increased navigation authority for the sea bridge
• Largest marine suspension bridge anchor (344,000 m3)
• Highest wind resistance test speed for a suspension bridge (83.7 meters)
• The largest steel bridge deck with hot mix epoxy asphalt coating (378,800 m2)
• Longest submerged eight-lane, dual-direction tunnel (5,035 meters)
• Largest submerged concrete pipe and steel casing underwater tunnel (up to 55.6 meters)
• Largest single volume casting for steel casing immersed pipe using self-compacting concrete (29,000 m3)
• The largest M-shaped water stopper used at the end connection point of the sunken tube tunnel (3 meters) with repeated folding
• The world’s first highway interchange and underwater airport

Security. We still remember what happened a few months ago on the Baltimore Bridge. In a project, safety, the caliber of the bridge is a priority, and in the case of Shenzhen-Zhongshan everything shows that the bridge was given the highest priority. For example, new fire extinguishing and smoke extraction systems were included in the tunnel sections.

Controlling machines. There will also be a team of 14 robots constantly patrolling the tunnel, monitoring pipes and cables for possible accidents. According to the media, in the event of an accident, a protocol is activated where the robots can direct traffic via built-in speakers or film the scene by transmitting it to a remote control center.

Even the lights have color-coded lighting systems. What does this mean? For example, they are green when everything is OK, but turn red in an emergency. They can also gradually change from yellow to green along the tunnel to help guide people in the right direction during an evacuation.

In short, a pharaoh’s work, joining its peers in the country, was completed within the timeframes set at the beginning of the project. Considering that we are talking about a country with more than 18% of the planet’s population, there was a lot at stake for China. Its population density will probably make China one of the largest builders of connections and bridges that ease traffic congestion or simply help move between crowded cities.

Image | Xinhua

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