Hangzhou Bay Bridge is a long highway bridge with a cable-stayed portion across Hangzhou Bay in the eastern coastal region of China. It connects the municipalities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in Zhejiang province. At 35.673 km (22 mi) in length, Hangzhou Bay Bridge is one of the longest trans-oceanic bridges in the world. Construction of the bridge was completed on June 14, 2007. The bridge was not opened to public use until May 1, 2008, after a considerable period of testing and evaluation. The bridge shortened the highway travel distance between Ningbo and Shanghai from 400 km (249 mi) to 280 km (174 mi) and reduced travel time from 4 to 2.5 hours. The Hangzhou Bay Bridge is of the cable stayed bridge form. This form was chosen for this project because of the strength of the cable stayed bridge in adverse conditions. The bridge is being constructed in the delta of the Yangtze River Delta which experiences some of the highest tidal forces on the planet[4]. The location of the bridge is also prone to earthquakes as well as extremely high winds during typhoon season.
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