10 world records. A unique system of bridges and tunnels has been opened in China: what makes it special

A unique system of bridges and tunnels has been opened in the Chinese province of Guangdong. The new Shenzhen-Zhongshan highway is called an architectural miracle, as it has already set 10 world records.

The unique road in China has eight lanes, which allows it to reach speeds of up to 100 km/h. Until now, traveling between cities took at least two hours, but thanks to the new system, it has been reduced to 30 minutes, NewAtlas writes.

The mouth of the Pearl River, where the river flows into the South China Sea, is one of the most densely populated areas in the world. It encompasses Hong Kong, Macau, and nine other cities in Guangdong province, which are separated by wide bodies of water, making it very difficult to get around. So the new system of bridges and tunnels will make transportation faster and more comfortable.

The Shenzhen-Zhongshan interchange stretches for 24 km and connects two cities located on opposite banks of the Pearl River estuary. The new system is designed to have an underwater tunnel that runs between two artificial islands, with bridges connecting each island to the city on the other side.

10 world records

According to the China Global Television Network (CGTN), the Shenzhen-Zhongshan has set 10 new world records.

1. The longest span for a fully offshore steel box girder suspension bridge (1666 m).
2. The highest bridge deck (91 m).
3. Largest navigation clearance for a marine bridge.
4. The largest anchor of a sea suspension bridge (344 thousand m3 of concrete).
5. Highest wind resistance test speed for suspension bridges (83.7 meters per second).
6. Largest steel bridge deck with a hot epoxy asphalt concrete coating (378,800 m2).
7. The longest bilateral eight-lane submerged tube tunnel (5,035 m).
8. The widest underwater steel-concrete tunnel (up to 55.6 m).
9. The largest single-volume casting for a steel-sheathed submersible pipe using self-compacting concrete (29,000 m3 per pipe section).
10. The widest reusable M-shaped water seal used in the final connection of a submersible pipe tunnel (3 m).

Know-how of China's maritime transportation system

Shenzhen-Zhongshan is the world's first underwater interchange of an expressway and an airport.

The lights in the underwater tunnel, which is an integral part of the new Chinese highway, have several functions. In addition to lighting the way, they are also color-coded. When all is well, they are green, but in emergencies they turn red. The lights can even gradually change color from yellow to green along the length of the tunnel to help people move in the right direction during an evacuation.

In addition, the tunnel lights have unique safety features, such as new fire extinguishing and smoke removal systems.

A team of 14 robots constantly patrols the tunnel, keeping an eye on the pipes and cables that keep things running smoothly, and even tracking car accidents. When this happens, they can direct traffic through built-in loudspeakers.

It is worth noting that Shenzhen-Zhongshan is connected to the world's longest bridge across the sea - Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao.

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