World’s Longest Bridges Open in China

China opened four of the world’s six longest bridges on July the 1st. They are part of the country’s high-speed rail network between Shanghai and Beijing. Two of the bridges are the longest ever built. The Jiaozhou Bay bridge is now the world's longest over-water bridge at 42.5 kilometres. The local Communist party secretary Li Qun said at the opening ceremony: “It is a magnificent and very advanced bridge. It is another stepping stone in the city's smooth and rapid development.”
The cost of the bridge is somewhere between $1.5 and $2.3 billion, although some estimates put the figure at nearly $9 billion. The engineers who built it say it is earthquake-proof and typhoon-proof. It is also strong enough to be hit by a 300,000-ton ship. As well as the Beijing-Shanghai High Speed Railway, the bridge will carry around 30,000 cars a day. The new bridges are an important part of China’s efforts to reduce its traffic problems. Eleven of the world's 15 longest bridges are now located in China. (Breaking News English)