Jiaozhou Bay Bridge-The world’s longest sea bridge Opened

The Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in China opened to traffic on Thursday, June 30, 2011. It is the longest cross-ocean bridge on the Earth.  It transects Jiaozhou Bay, connecting Huangdao District, the city of Qingdao and Hongdao Island. The Bridge is 42 Kilometers (26 miles) long.

The bridge took 4 years to build, and employed at least 10,000 people. Total 450,000 tons of steel and 2.3 million cubic metres of concrete were used in the construction of the bridge, which was designed by the Shandong Gaosu Group. It is designed to be able to withstand severe earthquakes, typhoons, and collisions with ships. The bridge is supported by more than 5,000 pillars, 35 metres (115 ft) wide, carrying six lanes and two shoulders, and cost more than 10 billion yuan (US$1.5 billion).