Shanghai Daily news

Clouds of balloons float from the Donghai Bridge yesterday after its final link is laid into place. The 32.5-kilometer-long bridge, which stretches from Shanghai's Luchao Port to the Yangshan Islands in the East China Sea, is expected to open to traffic in November.(Photo: Shanghai Daily)

The final link in Shanghai's massive Donghai Bridge was put into place yesterday, as government officials also revealed plans to develop the area it serves into a major tourist attraction.
When the 32.5-kilometer-span opens to traffic in November after the finishing touches have been completed, motorists will be able to drive from Nanhui District to the future Yangshan Deep Water Port in the East China Sea, a 30-minute journey across the open water.
"The bridge will quicken the pace of building the city into an international shipping center," Mayor Han Zheng said during yesterday's ceremony celebrating the installation of the final piece of the bridge bed.
The bridge comprises six traffic lanes and is designed for speeds up to 80 kilometers an hour. It has four arches that will allow ships to pass underneath. The major arch is formed by two 150-meter-tall towers and has a span of 420 meters.
To protect the bridge from wayward vessels, the Shanghai Maritime Safety Administration has positioned a fleet of patrol ships around the bridge 24 hours a day.
The bridge snakes from Nanhui to its destination east of Hangzhou Bay in the shape of the letter of "S" to improve driving safety, engineers said.
The major construction phase of the bridge was completed within three years while engineers said a similar effort could take as long as seven to eight years.
Guo Jian, an engineer in charge of bridge safety, explained the project was divided into eight separate components, with each proceeding simultaneously.
"The project has drawn an unprecedented 6,000-plus construction workers and engineers," he said, noting that many workers live inside uncompleted girders to guarantee the continuation of the rapid construction pace.
Bridge chief Huang Rong said that, as the project nears completion, the central government is working on plans to develop the islands in the East China Sea into tourist attraction.
"There are many geological tourist attractions on the islands, and we hope the city's tourism authority will open special travel routes to these sites," he said.
But the main reason for the bridge is the link it will provide between east China and the Yangshan Deep Water Port, a key part of Shanghai's plans to enhance its status as a major transport hub by giving it the ability to handle the world's biggest cargo vessels.
The first phase of the port is scheduled to go into trial operation late this year.
"Our workers have overcome many difficulties" since construction broke ground in 2002, Gu Gang, president of Tongsheng Investment (Group) Co, a major builder of the project, told the 24th World Port Conference yesterday in Shanghai.