World's Longest Bridge in Sea

China, which seems to complete greatest infrastructure projects on a routine basis, has claimed another world-beater with the construction of the longest sea bridge.

According to Xinhua, the bridge has the world's longest cross-sea span.The 41.58-km, eight-lane Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, connecting the urban district of the city to its Huangdao district, cost 14.8 billion yuan ($2.3 billion). Construction started in May 2007. It will cut the length of the drive from Shanghai to Ningbo from 400 km to 80km.Somewhat inevitably, the bridge takes the world record from another Chinese sea crossing, the 22.5-mile Hangzhou Bay bridge, which opened in 2008, connecting the cities of Jiaxing and Ningbo, south of Shanghai.It makes the one-hour economy ring for downtown Qingdao and its surrounding districts a reality and strengthens the prospect of a four-hour economy ring among cities on the Shandong Peninsula.
The bridge supported by more than 5,000 pillars was built in four years.

The 26-mileJiaozhou Bay crossing connects the bustling port city of Qingdao, south-east of Beijing, to the industrial district of Huangdao.

China is constructing an even more ambitious bridge. Work began in December 2009 on a Y-shaped structure linking Guangdong province in southern China to Hong Kong and Macau. Building is expected to be finished in 2015, and the bridge is expected to cover about 31 miles, although only about 22 miles will Span the sea.

The eight-lane, 35-metre-wide bridge opened to traffic Built over a four-year period the project cost about £1.4bn and uses 5,000 pillars. It shortens the driving route between the two locations by about 20 miles.

 The Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana, at almost 24 miles, is slightly longer but crosses an inland waterway rather than open sea.

Danyang–Kunshan Grand Bridge, China (rail): 102.4 miles

Top 10 World’s Longest Bridges

• Tianjin Grand Bridge, China (rail): 70.6 miles
• Weinan Weihe Grand Bridge, China (rail): 49.5 miles
• Bang Na Expressway, Thailand (road): 33.5 miles
• Beijing Grand Bridge, China (rail): 29.9 miles
• Qingdao Haiwan Bridge, China (road) – longest bridge over water: 26.4 miles
• Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, USA (road): 23.8 miles
• Manchac Swamp bridge, USA (road): 22.8 miles
• Yangcun Bridge, China (rail): 22.2 miles
• Hangzhou Bay Bridge, China (road): 22.1 miles

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