Construction of the Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge commenced six months ahead of schedule June 6 as steel pipe piles were cast for an 8.36-km (5.2-mile) trestle on the Jiangmen side.

The dual six-lane structure will start from Pingsha Town in the Gaolan Port Economic Zone and span 31 km (19 miles) across the Huangmao Sea to Doushan Town Taishan, Jiangmen. It is designed for a life span of 100 years and maximum speed of 100 kmph (62 mph).

Two mega cable-stayed bridges will stretch 700 m (766 yd) across 50,000-dwt, 30,000-dwt, and 3,000-dwt shipping lanes. The 720-m (787-yd) Huangmao Sea Bridge will be the world's longest three-tower double-span cable-stayed steel box girder construction, while the 700-m Gaolan Port Bridge will have a double-tower single-span structure with steel box girder.

Construction site [Photo by Ye Qiuming / Guanhai App]

In regards to overall design, navigation, flood prevention, and cost, the cross-sea section will be shaped in an arc. Pylons of the main bridge innovatively adopt a thin-waist single-pillar structure that reflects the natural scenery of the Huangmao Sea and establishes the project as a landmark in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area.  

In addition, the full life-cycle design is resistant to a 17-grade typhoon. The west Pearl River Estuary experiences frequent typhoons due to the tropical marine climate, according to Pan Fang, director of the Huangmao Sea Channel Management Center.

Zhuhai's Gaolan Port and Jiangmen's Greater Guanghai Bay economic zones, both have advantageous geographical locations, abundant land resources, and good water transport conditions. The long Western Coastal Expressway, however, is the sole road transport connection between the two.

In 2024, the bridge will lead to the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge in the east, merge into the Guangdong Western Coastal Expressway in the west, and continue to the Xintai-Taierzhuang Expressway in Shandong Province. Its connection with the Nansha and Humen bridges between Guangzhou and Dongguan and Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor sea channel will form a Greater Bay Area cross-sea transport network.

Furthermore, construction of the Huangmao Sea Channel Bridge will contribute to connectivity between western Guangdong and the core Greater Bay Area, synergic development between the Hengqin Free Trade Zone, Gaolan Port Economic Zone, and Greater Guanghai Bay Economic Zone, and formation of a one-hour transport and economic circle in the Greater Bay Area.