China has recently inaugurated the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link in Guangdong, a remarkable engineering feat that includes a 24-kilometer passage comprising an underwater tunnel, two bridges, and two artificial islands. This project has set 10 world records:
Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge:
- Longest span fully offshore steel box girder suspension bridge: The main span stretches 1,666 meters.
- Highest bridge deck and navigation clearance: The bridge deck reaches 91 meters in height, providing the highest navigation clearance for a sea bridge.
- Largest offshore suspension bridge anchor: The single anchor features a concrete volume of approximately 344,000 cubic meters.
- Highest wind resistance test speed for a suspension bridge: It endured a maximum flutter test wind speed of 83.7 m/s.
- Largest steel bridge deck hot-mix epoxy asphalt paving: Covering an area of 378,800 square meters.
Shenzhen-Zhongshan Tunnel: 6. Longest two-way eight-lane immersed tube tunnel: This tunnel spans 5,035 meters, consisting of 32 tube sections plus one final joint. 7. Widest underwater steel shell-concrete immersed tube tunnel: The standard tube section is 165 meters long, with a width of up to 55.6 meters and a height of 10.6 meters. 8. Largest single-volume cast for a steel-shell immersed tube using self-compacting concrete: A single tube section has a concrete volume of 29,000 cubic meters, totaling 910,000 cubic meters. 9. First underwater expressway interchange – airport interchange. 10. Widest (three-meter) repeatedly foldable M-shaped water stop: Used in the final joint of an immersed tube tunnel.
These records highlight the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link as a pioneering project in cross-sea infrastructure, pushing the boundaries of engineering and construction on a global scale.