The core stress component has been installed in the West Anchorage of the main bridge, completing the anchorage system installation for this key Greater Bay Area project.
The Shiziyang Passage is a super-engineering project currently under construction. Following the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, the Nansha Bridge, and the Humen Bridge, it is another brand-new cross-estuary channel in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA).
1. Location and Function
- Location: Situated in the Pearl River Estuary, it crosses the Shiziyang (the main estuary of the lower Pearl River), connecting Guangzhou’s Nansha District with Dongguan’s Humen Town.
- Function: Its primary purpose is to alleviate the increasingly saturated traffic pressure on the existing Humen Bridge and Nansha Bridge, strengthening the transportation links between the east and west banks of the Pearl River Estuary.
2. Key (World-Class) Technical Features
The Shiziyang Passage is not just a single bridge but a complex project composed of two main bridges (east and west) and corresponding approach bridges:
- Double-Deck Expressway: This is its most significant feature. The entire route is designed as a double-deck expressway.
- Upper Deck: 8 lanes (two-way), design speed of 100 km/h.
- Lower Deck: 8 lanes (two-way, some sources indicate 6 lanes + 2 emergency lanes), design speed of 80 km/h.
- Total Lanes: The upper and lower decks combine for a total of 16 lanes (or 14 + 2 emergency lanes), making it one of the world’s widest cross-estuary passages by lane count.
3. Two World-Class Main Bridges
The passage includes two bridges with main spans exceeding one kilometer:
- West Bridge (Crossing the Lijiao Waterway):
- Type: Double-deck steel truss suspension bridge.
- Main Span: 2180 meters (approx. 7,152 ft).
- Record: Upon completion, it will surpass Turkey’s 1915 Çanakkale Bridge (2023 meters) to become the world’s longest-span double-deck suspension bridge.
- East Bridge (Crossing the Humen Waterway):
- Type: Steel box girder cable-stayed bridge.
- Main Span: 1160 meters (approx. 3,806 ft).
4. Scale and Status
- Total Length: The entire Shiziyang Passage project (including approaches and connecting lines) is approximately 35 kilometers long.
- Construction Status: As of 2024-2025, the project is in full construction, with work on key structures like the main towers for both the east and west bridges underway.
- Estimated Opening: The project has a planned 6-year construction period and is expected to be completed and open to traffic around 2028.