The construction of the Shiziyang Passageway in Guangdong has reached a major milestone, with the main structures of the Shiziyang Bridge's east and west anchorages completed on August 13.
The Shiziyang Passageway is about 35 kilometers long, connecting Nansha in Guangzhou with Humen and Shatian in Dongguan. It is the first double-deck highway crossing of the Pearl River Estuary.
The Shiziyang Bridge, the passageway's main bridge, will have a 2,180-meter main span, enabling it to cross the Pearl River in a single stretch. Upon completion, it is expected to set 5 world records among double-deck suspension bridges: longest main span, most traffic lanes, tallest towers, largest anchorage foundation and largest main cable diameter.
The anchorages are key structures that secure the bridge's main cables and withstand more than 200,000 tonnes of pulling force. The east and west anchorages are located in Nansha, Guangzhou and Shatian, Dongguan, respectively. The west anchorage foundation is about 130 meters in diameter and up to 36 meters in depth, making it the largest of its kind in the world. It contains about 550,000 cubic meters of concrete and weighs around 1.4 million tonnes.
Construction of the west anchorage began in March 2023. After more than 3 years of work, both anchorages are now structurally completed. Work is continuing on the bridge's superstructure, including catwalk installation. The main cables are scheduled to be installed in 2027.
Once completed, the Shiziyang Passageway will join the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link to form a network of major cross-river and cross-sea links, further connecting cities across the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.
Reporter | Dai Bosi
Photos | Guangdong Provincial Communication Group
