The Dragon Soaring over the GBA
The ShenZhong Link: a world-class mega cross-sea cluster project with at least 10 “world records”
Standing on Ma' an Island in Zhongshan looking into the distance, the ShenZhong Link is like a giant dragon winding its way across the deep blue sea, sometimes leaping into the sky, sometimes diving into the depths, spanning 24 kilometers to connect with Bao’an, Shenzhen.
On December 28, 2016, the world- class mega cross-sea cluster project integrating “bridge, island, tunnel, and underwater interchange”, the ShenZhong Link project, broke ground on a mudflat on Ma'an Island.
On June 30, 2024, the ShenZhong Link will be open to traffic. It has set multiple world records - including the world's highest suspension bridge over navigable waters with a clearance height of 76.5 meters and a deck height of 91 meters, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge; the world's widest 6.8-kilometer-long undersea steel shell concrete immersed tube tunnel; the world's largest single anchor mass weighing over one million tons in the sea.
Spanning over seven years, more than 15,000 builders have devoted themselves to this epoch-making project.
What is the construction code behind the ShenZhong Link, the “Sea Dragon” over the GBA?
WHY1:
Why should we build the ShenZhong Link?
Most of the cities in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area are located on the eastern and western banks of the Lingding Ocean, facing each other across the sea, with only a few cities in the middle connected by land, resembling the Chinese character “人”（human). The construction of the ShenZhong Link is like adding a horizontal stroke in the middle of “人”, turning it into the English letter “A”. This connection allows for rapid linkage between the two banks, paving the way for a new future for the integrated development of the Greater Bay Area. The two ends of the ShenZhong Link connect to Zhongshan City on the west bank and Shenzhen City on the east bank, hence it is named the ShenZhong Link (Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link).
WHY2：
Why is it so incredible?
The ShenZhong Link stretches for 24 kilometers and appears like a giant kite from above the sea. However, what can be seen from the sea is only its half connecting to the western bank, while the other half that connects to the eastern bank lies beneath the sea. The underwater tunnel dives into the sea, imperceptibly extending towards the eastern bank. This is exactly where its incredible charm lies.
WHY3：
Why is it such an engineering feat?
The complexity of ShenZhong Link is arguably unmatched worldwide. At least 10 “world records” have been set during its construction. This world-class mega project is not just a transportation infrastructure; it represents Chinese constructors' self-transcendence and extreme challenges in science, technology, and engineering.
1.Bridge
The ShenZhong Link includes two important bridges, namely the Zhongshan Bridge and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge.Located over the main channel of Lingding Ocean, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is the world's largest offshore steel box girder suspension bridge, with a total length of 2,826 meters and a main span of 1,666 meters. It is also the sea bridge with the highest navigational clearance in the world currently, reaching 91 meters above sea level, equivalent to the height of a 30-story building, with a navigable clearance width of 1,520 meters.
2.Island
There are two artificial islands. The West Artificial Island covers an area of approximately 137,000 square meters, equivalent to the size of 19 football fields. A vibrating-sinking technology of large-diameter steel cylinders was adopted. 57 giant steel cylinders with diameters of 28 meters are directly fixed on the seabed, and then sand is filled in the middle to form an artificial island. Its construction took 141 days, setting a new record for rapid island formation. The West Artificial Island is positioned as a functional hub integrating bridge-tunnel transition, management and maintenance, science and education, and tourism.
3.Tunnel
The undersea tunnel on the east side of the ShenZhong Link incorporates the most concentrated application of cutting-edge technology throughout the project. Spanning 6.845 kilometers long, with a 5,035-meter-long immersed tube section consisting of 32 tubes and a terminal joint, the undersea tunnel of the ShenZhong Link is the world's first two-way, eight-lane steel-shell, concrete immersed tube tunnel with a designed speed of 100 km/h. It is also the world’s longest and widest steel-shell concrete immersed tunnel.
4.The underwater interchange
The East Artificial Island of ShenZhong Link, is the first underwater interchange hub of expressway in China. Located to the south of Shenzhen Bao'an Airport, adjacent to the Fuyong Pier, it covers a land area of 343,800 square meters and a sea area of 476,300.
Numerous records have been set in the construction of the ShenZhong Link, including the world’s highest wind speed for flutter testing; the world's largest volume of hot-mixed epoxy asphalt pavement on steel decks; the greatest volume of self-compacting concrete into a single steel shell immersed tube and the world's widest (3 meters) repeatedly foldable M-shaped waterstop used in the terminal joint of the immersed tube. There have also been various breakthroughs in the heavy machinery and construction methods used during the construction.
Chief Planner: Wu Xuebiao
Chief Executive Producer: Li Qinghui
Chief Coordinator: Cheng Mingsheng
Chief Designer: Lin Lin
Planners: Chen Hui, Su Xiaohong, Lin Zhiqiang, Xie Qiong, Ming Jian
Editors: Zhu Hui, Wei Jingwen, Chen Yan
Art Editors: Peng Xiaoguang, Xie Yuanjie
Illustrators: Lin Lin Studio
Writers: He Miao, Leng Qidi, Chen Hui, Wei Jingwen
English Translators and Proofreaders: Liao Wei, Rao Meifang, Gan Ying, Jerry
编辑 甘颖 二审 廖薇 三审 向才志
