The massive Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link scythes through the sea with consummate ease. [Photo/Changjiang Daily]
On June 30, the highly anticipated Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link officially opened for trial operations.
The world-first cross-sea cluster project – integrating bridges, islands, tunnels and underwater interchanges – stretches about 24 kilometers and reduces travel time between Shenzhen and Zhongshan cities in South China's Guangdong province from 2 hours to just 30 minutes.
China Railway Major Bridge Reconnaissance & Design Institute Co or BRDI – based in Wuhan Economic & Technological Development Zone (WEDZ) – is widely said to have played a crucial role in the complex project.
BRDI was involved in the entire process – from scheme research to the design and construction supervision of various components – including work on the 1,170-meter Zhongshan Bridge and 6.8 kilometers of bridgeworks.
The Zhongshan Bridge – the world's widest single-span, steel box girder cable-stayed bridge – is known to have presented significant challenges due to its oversized segments.
Each standard segment measures 18 meters in length, weighs 428 metric tons and covers an area equivalent to two basketball courts.
BRDI senior expert Yang Guangwu recently highlighted the innovative solutions developed to address these challenges – such as the "super-wide steel box girder design" and "stage-by-stage welding of main beams".
BRDI's supervision team leveraged their experience from the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao tunnel project to overcome the harsh marine construction environment, ensuring the faultless quality and high precision of the installation.
Looking ahead, plans are for BRDI to enhance research into deep-sea bridge technology through its national key laboratory for intelligent and green bridge construction – pushing the boundaries of global bridge engineering from what it calls the shallow sea to the deep blue.
