China has opened the longest bridge in the world rising over the sea

Beijing - China today opened the longest sea bridge in the world. The colossal structure, 36 kilometers long over the Hangzhou Bay, connects the ports of Shanghai and Ningbo. Its construction took four and a half years and cost the equivalent of over 27 billion crowns. For the first time, 30 percent of the financing for such a massive public project in China came from the private sector, pointed out the Xinhua news agency.
    The six-lane highway that runs over the bridge will shorten the distance between the two strategically important ports in the economically growing Yangtze River Delta by 120 kilometers. In the future, it should therefore be possible to cover this distance in 2.5 hours instead of the current four.
    Trial public operation will start at midnight on Friday. During this phase, trucks, overloaded vehicles, and cars carrying hazardous chemicals will not be allowed on the bridge. "We have not yet decided how long this trial period will last. It will depend on the condition of the bridge," explained Jin Jianming, a representative of the construction company, at today's official opening attended by several hundred spectators.
    China began construction in 2003 and completed it last year. However, it waited to open to the public until this year, when it will host the Summer Olympics in Beijing. The bridge is designed for speeds of 100 kilometers per hour and is expected to have a lifespan of over 100 years.
    The Chinese bridge is only 2.4 kilometers shorter than the longest bridge in the world. This record is held by the bridge over Lake Pontchartrain in the U.S. state of Louisiana, which consists of two parallel structures, the longer of which measures 38.4 kilometers.
    Experts believe that the acceleration of the connection between Ningbo and Shanghai will primarily benefit the former, which is located in the industrial heart of the eastern province of Zhejiang. Ningbo has a population of 5.5 million and is home to many industrial enterprises, including the well-known Chinese mobile phone manufacturer Ningbo Bird and clothing manufacturer Younger. The shortened travel time is expected to facilitate connections for local manufacturers with professional designers and scientists in China's largest city and the world's largest port, Shanghai.
    In anticipation of an increase in the number of entrepreneurs and tourists, luxury hotel chains such as Hyatt Regency and Shangri-La have already started to relocate to Ningbo. By 2009, the city is expected to have up to 20 five-star hotels. Two years ago, it had only four.