Copyright 2024 - Ningbo Life / Ningbo Expat

Hangzhou Bay Bridge scoring the highest score of bridge construction quality in China

On July 16 and 17, a group of 17 domestic bridge construction experts participated in the completion acceptance conference of Hangzhou Bay Bridge organized by the Ministry of Transportation. It is learned from the conference that, after a series of systematic examinations, the bridge scored 97.14 and successfully passed the acceptance, putting a successful full stop to the entire project. Feng Zhenglin, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Transportation, and Wang Jianman, Vice Governor of Zhejiang Province delivered speeches at the conference. Present at the meeting were also Wang Yong, First Deputy Mayor of Ningbo, and other officials from related government departments of Zhejiang Province, Ningbo and Jiaxing.

After 10 years' argument and consultation, 4 years and 4 months' construction, Hangzhou Bay Bridge was opened to traffic on May 1 of 2008. The bridge is 36 kilometers long and extends from Cixi of Ningbo on the south to Haiyan on the north, setting an important milestone in China's history of bridge building. During its construction, the builders overcame one after another difficulties of the world and achieved over 250 technological innovations with 9 series of core technologies of our own, creating numerous 'world firsts'. Since it was opened to traffic on May 1, 2008, a total number of 33.22 million vehicles of all kinds have crossed it. Now it has an average daily traffic volume of 32 thousand without any serious accidents, with the rates of traffic accident and mortality apparently lower than other highways of the province, which indicated that the management of the bridge has reached the standard of highway management of developed countries.

According to the Regulations of Road Construction Completion Acceptance issued by the Ministry of Transportation, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is to pass through its completion acceptance three years after it was opened to traffic. After close and systematic inspection of the structures of the bridge, its traffic project, the bridge floor, the committee of experts agreed that the structures are stable with good performance, the coating of the steel pipe piles is complete, the concrete surface of the bearing platform and piers is smooth and close grained, the surface of the stay-cables is well protected, with the cable strains well and evenly distributed, the comprehensive durable anti-corrosion system of the bridge structure is complete, with the quality of the entire project being excellent. The experts give tha bridge a score of 97.02, the highest so far in China.

Feng Zhenglin extended his congratulation on the bridge passing through the completion acceptance. He said the construction of Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a new challenge in the modern construction of bridges in our country as well as a new record in the world history of bridge construction. The success of the bridge could not have been achieved without thorough and careful prior work, specialized management of projects, solid foundation in safe production, forceful and fine management measures, close dependence on technological innovation, government supervision, and experts' consultation, all of which are good experiences worth drawing and spreading to other projects. He hopes that, after the bridge has passed the acceptance, related departments will go on working hard at the management, supervision, and maintenance of the bridge to provide excellent service for traffic.

In his speech, Vice Governor Wang said the success in the construction of the bridge has provided valuable experiences for important projects under way or to be launched on the sea in Zhejiang Province, greatly contributing to the smooth implementation of the construction of transportation infrastructures in the province during the twelfth five-year plan period. Now that the construction of the bridge is completed, efforts still have to be made for its successful operation and management, giving priority to its safety.

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