The Jinhai Avenue Bridge entered full-scale construction March 4 when China Railway 6th Group drilled for the first pile of the highway section of the Jingwan Bridge.

The first highway-railway structure in the Pearl River estuary, the entire Jinhai Avenue Bridge project is 11.2 km (7 miles) long from the Jingwan Tunnel on southern Hengqin Island to the Sanzao Tunnel beneath East Airport Road (Jinhai Avenue, S727) in Jinwan District. Last month a huge crane vessel began installing eight steel truss girders and four main towers of the Jinhai Avenue Bridge itself.

Engineering of the project's three bridges spanning 2.6 km (1.6 miles) calls for 224 piles, 90 bearing platforms, 180 piers, 45 basic collar beams, and 45 bent caps to be built in 30 months.

Upon completion, the project will further facilitate travel between Hengqin New Area and the city's west wing. Travel time between Hengqin Island and Zhuhai (Jinwan) Airport will be significantly reduced to 10-15 minutes.

First pile drilling for Jingwan Bridge proceeds smoothly [Photo courtesy Guanhai App]