World's longest sea bridge opens in China

Chinese officials opened the 22-mile long Hzanghou Bay Bridge amidst much celebration and fanfare yesterday. Touted as the largest sea bridge in the world it connects Jiaing City near Shanghai to the port city of Ningbo in the eastern province of Zhejiang.

The Bridge which cost $1.7 Billion U.S. Dollars, took almost five years to build because of typhoons, sea tides and other geological problems like mudflats that had to be overcome during the construction.

Officials say they expect the bridge to be able to withstand the area's extreme weather for at least one hundred years.

With six lanes on each side, the bridge will not only help ease traffic congestion but also reduce the drive between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km to 80km and help boost economic activity between the regions.

The first person to cross the bridge was 37-year old Don Heping, who had waited patiently for over 15 hours! Over 2,000 cars followed him across. In the short-term trucks carrying heavy loads or anything with dangerous chemicals will not be allowed on the bridge.

While the Hzanghou Bay Bridge is the longest sea bridge in the world, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway Bridge in New Orleans, which spans over 24 miles, still retains the title for being world's longest bridge overall.

Sources:Times Online, People's Daily China, Yahoo News