The Xihoumen Bridge (Chinese: 西堠门大桥) is a suspension bridge on the Zhoushan Archipelago, the largest offshore island group in China.

Xihoumen Bridge
西堠门大桥
Xihoumen Bridge
Coordinates30°03′42.00″N 121°54′22.90″E / 30.0616667°N 121.9063611°E / 30.0616667; 121.9063611
Carries Yongzhou Expressway
CrossesHangzhou Bay
LocaleJintang Island and Cezi Island, Zhejiang province,  People's Republic of China
Characteristics
DesignSuspension bridge
Height211 m (692 ft)
Longest span1,650 m (5,413 ft)
History
Construction end16 December 2007
Opened25 December 2009
Location
Map

Linking Jintang and Cezi islands, the bridge, together with the 27-kilometer cable-stayed Jintang Bridge linking Jintang and Zhenhai in the neighboring city of Ningbo, is part of the second and last phase of a bridging project started in 1999 to connect the Zhoushan Archipelago to the mainland via five bridges. The bridge forms part of the Yongzhou Expressway.

Built by the province of Zhejiang at a cost of 2.48 billion yuan (approximately US$363 million), construction began in 2005 and the main span was completed in December 2007. The bridge was opened to traffic on a test basis on 25 December 2009, at 11:58 p.m., local time alongside the Jintang Bridge, before it is officially open for traffic.[1][2] The opening date was delayed due to a ship collision on 16 November 2009 that slightly damaged the side of Jintang Bridge.

The 5.3-kilometre suspension bridge connection has a 2.6-kilometre main bridge with a central span of 1,650 metres. The approaches total 2.7 kilometres. When built, it was the second-longest suspension bridge ranked by the length of the centre span after the Akashi Kaikyō Bridge in Japan.

See also

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Notes

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  1. ^ "World's Longest Suspension Bridge with Steel Box Beams Opens to Traffic". The People's Government of Zhejiang Province. 2007-12-18. Archived from the original on May 22, 2011. Retrieved 2008-02-25.
  2. ^ "IABSE Workshop 2009 with Chinese Bridge Tour - Recent Major Bridges" (PDF).
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