(Xinhua)
Updated: 2008-05-01 19:47

JIAXING/NINGBO - China inaugurated the world's longest cross-sea bridge on Thursday as part of its effort to boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta.

This photo, taken on Wednesday, April 30, 2008, shows the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, the world's longest sea bridge. China inaugurated the Hangzhou Bay Bridge on Thursday as part of its effort to boost economic integration and development in the Yangtze River Delta. [Xinhua]

Hundreds of people attended the opening ceremony for the 36-kilometer bridge spanning Hangzhou Bay near Shanghai on Thursday afternoon. It was held in the middle of the bridge.

Zhao Hongzhu, Zhejiang Province Communist Party secretary, declared the opening of the bridge at 3:40 p.m., followed by ceremonial fireworks.

Tens of thousands of local residents gathered on two banks of the bay, many of whom performed dragon dances in traditional costume to celebrate the span's opening.

The bridge will open to traffic on a trial basis at midnight.

Trucks, overloaded vehicles and vehicles that carry dangerous chemicals will be barred from passing through the bridge during the trial operation period in a bid to ensure smooth traffic and visitor safety.

"The bridge has become well-known and is expected to attract many visitors," said Jin Jianming, deputy chief commander of the bridge construction project.

"We haven't decided how long the trial operation period will last. That depends ... on the bridge condition, and we need time to improve management about its operation."

The bridge links Haiyan, Jiaxing City to Cixi, Ningbo City in Zhejiang Province.

It will cut the length of the road trip from Shanghai to Ningbo, a busy port, by 120 km. It is designed to last 100 years.

The bridge, with a 32-km section spanning the sea, is a cable-stayed structure built at a cost of 11.8 billion yuan (US$ 1.69 billion).

Private investors funded almost 30 percent of the project, the first time China's private sector had invested in a major public infrastructure project in the country.

Construction of the six-lane bridge, which will allow a maximum speed of 100 km per hour, started on November 14, 2003 and was completed on June 26, 2007.

A waste water disposal plant with a daily capacity of 270,000 tons has been built near the bridge in Jiaxing to collect and treat waste water from neighboring areas.

   1 2   

   1 2