Last weekend, China inaugurated the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, a new system of tunnels and bridges that extends across the sea, located in the Guangdong province in southern China.
While this achievement might go unnoticed in many parts of the world, it seems that this architectural marvel has broken 10 very specific world records.
The Pearl River estuary, where it flows into the South China Sea, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It encompasses Hong Kong, Macau, and nine cities in Guangdong, separated by large bodies of water that greatly hinder transportation.
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan link aims to remedy this situation. With a length of 24 km (about 15 miles), it connects the two cities that give the bridge its name, located on opposite shores of the Pearl River estuary.
This is not exactly a long bridge, but a submarine tunnel that runs between two artificial islands, with bridges connecting each island to the city on its side.
With eight lanes allowing speeds of up to 100 km/h, the link reduces what is normally a two-hour trip to 30 minutes. After seven years of construction, the link opened to traffic on June 30th at 3:00 PM local time.
A very specific list of world records
According to China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link establishes 10 new world records. These are not basic records, such as the longest or largest bridge, but very specific records. Here’s the full list:
- Longest span of a steel box girder suspension bridge (1,666 m)
- Tallest bridge deck (91 m)
- Highest navigational clearance for a maritime bridge
- Largest anchorage for an offshore suspension bridge (344,000 m3 of concrete)
- Fastest wind resistance test speed for a suspension bridge (83.7 m per second)
- Largest steel bridge deck with hot epoxy asphalt pavement (378,800 m2)
- Longest eight-lane, two-way immersed tube tunnel (5,035 m)
- Widest concrete-coated steel immersed tube tunnel underwater (up to 55.6 m)
- Largest volume of self-compacting concrete for an immersed steel tube (29,000 m3 per tube section)
- Widest M-shaped, repeatedly foldable water stop used in the final joint of an immersed tube tunnel (3 m)
It’s also the world’s first underwater interchange for highways and airports. In addition to all this, the tunnel section has interesting safety features, such as new fire protection systems and smoke evacuation systems.
A team of 14 robots constantly patrol the tunnel, monitoring the pipes and cables that keep everything in perfect working order. They can even monitor traffic accidents. When that occurs, the robots can allegedly direct traffic using built-in speakers and film the scene while transmitting it to a remote control center.
The wall lights are also color-coded. When everything is fine, they remain green, but in the case of an emergency, they turn red. They can even transition gradually from yellow to green inside the tunnel to guide people in the right direction during an evacuation.
