China starts building world’s longest sea bridge

The construction of the world's longest cross-sea Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge began in China on Tuesday

China has started construction of the world’s longest sea bridge, Hong Kong – Zhuhai – Macau Bridge (Pont Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao, 港珠澳大桥, 港珠澳大橋), as part of a 73 billion yuan ($5.8 billion) plan to rejuvenate the Pearl River Delta, the manufacturing hub hit by a slump in demand for Chinese exports this year due to global financial crisis.

The 50 km (31 miles) long bridge will link Hong Kong to the Chinese mainland Pearl River Delta city of Zhuhai and the gambling centre of Macau in a giant Y-shape, 35 km (22 miles) of which will span the sea.

Expected to be completed in 2015/2016, the 73bn yuan cost of the bridge will be shared by the authorities in the three territories.

The structure also includes a 5.5km underwater tunnel with artificial islands to join it to bridges on each side. According to the engineering group Arup – which has helped with the design – it is the first major marine bridge-and-tunnel project in China. But the engineering firm described the structure as 38km in length; the reason for the disparity was unclear.
Work is expected to begin with land reclamation to create an artificial island of around 216 hectares (540 acres) off Zhuhai. This will become the customs point for those making the crossing.

An artistic rendering of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge

But much of the structure will be prefabricated offsite, so, for example, the concrete deck sections can be produced at the same time as the foundations are laid. The tunnel will be made of precast sections – each 100 meters long.

“It is designed with a service life of 120 years. It can withstand the impact of a strong wind with a speed of 51 meters a second, or equal to a maximum Beaufort scale 16 (184 to 201kmph),” said Zhu Yongling, an official in charge of the project construction. “It can also resist the impact of a magnitude-8 earthquake and a 300,000-tonne vessel.”

Six lanes of traffic will pass across the bridge at a maximum speed of 100kmph, cutting driving time from Hong Kong to Zhuhai from four hours to one.

According to projections more than 200 million vehicles a year will be using the bridge by 2020, carrying 170-220 million tons of freight.

The bridge was first proposed in 1983 as a way of fostering economic ties between China, Hong Kong and Macau. But it will be particularly welcome as the Pearl River Delta – for many years the hub of China’s manufacturing – is buffeted by economic problems. The area’s attempt to move up the value chain, combined with the rise of the yuan and the global economic crisis, has seen exports plummeting.

It is hoped the construction will help transform the Pearl River Delta into a modern export and services hub as it seeks to move away from its traditional low-tech industries snapping together cheap products for Western consumers.

“Through a more convenient and fast transport network, Hong Kong’s financial, tourism, trade and logistics and professional services can become better integrated with the Pearl River Delta and the surrounding areas,” said Donald Tsang, Hong Kong’s Chief Executive, at a ceremony launching the project.

In a sign of the importance Beijing has attached to the project, the Chinese vice-premier Li Keqiang, the man widely tipped to succeed the prime minister Wen Jiabao in 2012, was on hand to inaugurate construction.

The plan has faced objections from environmental groups, including the World Wide Fund for Nature, who say that it will further diminish the Delta’s already battered marine ecosystems, imperilling endangered species including the crested kingfisher, mangrove water snake and rough-skinned floating frog.

Of particular concern is the effect on the Chinese white dolphin whose breeding patterns could be disturbed by the noise of the construction and dredging needed to sink the bridge’s massive piles into the seabed.

Officials, however, have pledged to protect ocean ecology and fishery resources. “We will control the construction noises and turbidity of seawater, and prevent oil pollution,” Zhu Yongling, an official in charge of construction, told China’s state-run Xinhua news agency.
It is only a year and a half since China opened a 36km span across Hangzhou Bay – in the eastern province of Zhejiang – which is currently the longest sea-bridge.

Wang Yong, the head of that project, said the design had led to more than 250 technological innovations and engineering breakthroughs, many of which will no doubt prove useful in building the new construction. He added that the Hangzhou bridge survived 19 severe challenges, including typhoons, tides, and geological problems during the three and a half years of construction.

The longest water-spanning bridge in the world is the Lake Pontchartrain causeway bridge in New Orleans, at 38.4km. But officials said that Hangzhou was a particularly difficult site to build because of its complex climate.

世界最长跨海大桥港珠澳大桥示意图

世界最长跨海大桥港珠澳大桥开建 投资700亿元

2009年12月15日, 港珠澳大桥在珠海举行动工仪式,首先开工的项目是珠澳口岸人工岛。大桥全长49.968公里，建成后将成为世界最长跨海大桥。大桥也是中国建设史上里程最长、投资最多、施工难度最大的跨海桥梁项目。港珠澳大桥工程包括：海中桥隧工程；香港、珠海、澳门三地口岸；香港、珠海、澳门三地连接线。口岸采用“三地三检”模式分别由各方建设、各自独立管辖。

海中桥隧工程起自香港大屿山，止于珠澳口岸人工岛，全长约35.6公里，隧道两端各设置一个海中人工岛，海底隧道最深处离海平面40米左右。大桥施工工期约6年，工程全部投资估算为729.4亿元，设计寿命120年，用钢量相当于建11个“鸟巢”，可以抗击8级地震、16级大风及30万吨巨轮撞击。

工程计划单列5000万元作为景观工程费，将专门设置海景观赏平台和白海豚观赏区。

大桥建成后将大大改善三地交通格局，促进三地经济圈的形成，开创粤港澳合作新格局。澳门经济学会会长刘本立说，港珠澳大桥是港澳之间第一条陆路快速通道，比以往减少2/3交通成本，意味着澳门进入整个港珠澳一小时经济圈。

港珠澳大桥三亮点

设立中华白海豚观赏区
大桥将穿越中华白海豚保护区，为保护中华白海豚，工程制定了严格的保护方案。比如在打桩和挖掘作业施工前，应在施工地点半径500米范围内连续监测5分钟以上，确保施工范围内没有中华白海豚活动后方可施工，尽量减少同时作业挖泥船的数量等。为了保护中华白海豚，广东省计划投入1.5亿-2亿元。
大桥建成后，有望在面向白海豚繁殖区域设白海豚雕塑，或将白海豚形象在大桥工程部分造型中得以体现，并设立白海豚观赏景区。

人工岛设平台观赏海景
根据大桥工程可行性报告要求，人工岛将成为集交通、管理、服务、救援和观光功能为一体的综合运营中心，除了岛上构筑物的造型美观外，还将重视岛区范围内的绿化工程，在海景较美的地方设置观景平台。
此外，珠海作为中国有名的蚝贝类产销基地，人工岛设计也可望采取蚝壳的特色造型。同时，大桥隧道出入口也将进行景观美化。

中转站也是艺术品
“大桥工程将分别在珠江口伶仃洋海域南北两侧，通过填海建造两个人工岛。”一名香港设计人员说，人工岛间将通过海底隧道相连，隧道、桥梁间通过人工岛完美结合，“同时，两者之间的转换采取了点、线、面相结合方式，既是中转站，又是艺术品”。

港珠澳大桥“三最”

内地最长寿：内地大桥一般使用寿命都是五六十年，而港珠澳大桥设计使用寿命是120年，建成后可抗八级地震。

世界最长：根据近期批复的大桥工程可行性报告，港珠澳大桥全长约50公里，主体工程“海中桥隧”长35.578公里，超越现时世界上最长的跨海大桥――杭州湾跨海大桥，建成后成为世界最长的跨海大桥。

世界最难：港珠澳大桥主体工程包括6648米海底隧道。大桥初步设计单位“中交公路规划设计院公司”董事长兼总经理张喜刚曾表示，大桥主体工程中的海底隧道和人工岛部分，其施工技术难度在目前世界上是首屈一指的。

研究25年方案十几种　单“Y”方案终定案

港珠澳大桥最早在25年前由香港合和集团主席胡应湘提出，此后陆续出台设计方案不下十几种。其中，把港澳、深圳、珠海四地连通的双“Y”字方案和公路铁路桥“二合一”的方案曾广受支持，但最终被舍弃，最后单“Y”字方案被选定。

粤港澳同入一小时交通圈

李培祥分析，港珠澳大桥这样的基础建设投资对目前经济回暖有所帮助，从长远来看，将对区域经济和社会融合有重大意义。专家学者普遍认为，港珠澳大桥的建设将加速粤港澳经济一体化进程，提升大珠江三角洲的综合竞争力。

目前，粤港澳国民生产总值占全国近20%，三地紧密合作已有实力参与世界城市群的竞争。广东的发展离不开港澳，粤港澳的发展与三地互利合作密不可分。改革开放以来，广东承接港澳产业转移，通过加工贸易发展壮大，粤港澳合作发挥了重大作用。

港珠澳大桥建成后将促使粤港澳三地联系更紧密，形成城市圈，物流综合成本有所降低，配送时间更快，形成更大城市配送物流需求。

香港运输物流学会前会长梁刚锐分析，港珠澳大桥的兴建将拉近香港和珠三角的距离。业内人士指出，“长期以来，香港仅可借深圳进入内地，路径过于单一，辐射打折。”港珠澳大桥无疑给香港注射一剂“强心针”，不仅使其通往内地更加便捷，还扩大了香港的发展空间，港珠澳大桥彻底结束了香港与珠三角西翼的交通难题。

澳门经济学会会长、曾组建“民间关注港珠澳大桥小组”的立法会议员刘本立在接受有关媒体采访时表示，对于澳门而言，港珠澳大桥的建设使港澳之间出现了第一条陆路快速通道，这比以往减少2/3交通成本，意味着澳门进入整个港珠澳的一小时经济圈，“澳珠都市区”将与“港深都市区”媲美。

激活珠江西岸

有关珠江三角洲的物流业调查显示，珠三角东岸已经成为以电子产品加工、制造为主的国际性制造业基地，尤其以深圳、东莞最为突出，东岸是香港航空物流、港口货运的主要腹地，通往香港的陆路成为中国最繁忙的公路之一。与此相对，珠三角西岸的外向物流中心却尚未真正形成。

据悉，珠江三角洲东西岸之间的联系并不十分紧密，现在的珠三角运输网络被珠江给分割开来。主持《香港与珠江西岸交通运输研究》课题研究的陈元龙认为，港珠澳大桥可满足香港与珠三角西岸沟通和联系的需要，把香港在法律、物流、金融、国际贸易方面的优势和珠三角地区制造业的优势紧密联系互动起来，可为双方赢得广阔的发展空间。

据统计，深圳港的集装箱吞吐量中，深圳地区的货源占30%，东莞地区的货源占43%，珠江三角洲西岸地区占 10%，珠江三角洲以外的地区仅为17%。珠江口东西岸之间的过江通道严重不足，公路仅有虎门大桥，水路仅有虎门渡口。省交通运输厅负责人介绍，由于连接珠江两岸的虎门大桥一个昼夜的车流量达到7万—8万辆，已接近饱和，节假日时常拥堵。

珠三角西岸地区的崛起需要更紧密地与港澳融合，而港珠澳大桥建成后，将激活现有的西部沿海通道，带动西岸地区以至粤西经济发展。