Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge

Coordinates: 22°35′01″N 113°44′01″E / 22.58375°N 113.73360°E / 22.58375; 113.73360

The Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge is a planned construction project to connect two major cities on the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China: the city of Shenzhen on the eastern side of the PRD, and the city of Zhongshan on the western side. It will consist of a series of bridges and tunnels, starting from Bao'an International Airport on the Shenzhen side. The proposed 51 km eight-lane link is scheduled to be completed in 2021 and is expected to cost around US$4.83 billion.[1] It will be located about 27 km downriver from the Humen Bridge, the only current bridge crossing of the delta, and some 32 km north of the new Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, which is currently under construction and will link the cities of Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau at the southern end of the PRD, scheduled for completion in 2016.

Shenzhen had lobbied hard in the early 2000s to be included in the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge project by choosing a double-Y-shaped design with one of the extensions connecting Shenzhen to the structure, but the Government of China picked a single-Y-shaped design in 2004, leaving Shenzhen out of the project. The idea of a separate link, connecting Shenzhen with Zhongshan, was originally proposed in 2008, but was shelved for several years due to concerns it could jeopardize the bridge connecting Hong Kong with Zhuhai and Macau. It was eventually included in the Guangdong government's 12th five-year plan, unveiled by Guangdong governor Huang Huahua on 9 January 2011.[2]

The project will consist of a 6.7 km tunnel starting on the Shenzhen side, and 19 bridges totalling 43 km. Construction is scheduled to start in 2015 and be completed in 2021. There will be four lanes in each direction, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h. The bridge will join the Guangshen Coastal Expressway to the south of Shenzhen's airport and the Jihe Expressway to the east of the airport on the Eastern side of the delta with the Zhongjiang Expressway on the Western side. It will cut travel time from Shenzhen to Zhongshan to less than 30 minutes. Analysts from mainland China and Hong Kong found the project might draw as much as 40% of the potential traffic away from the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge and reduce the regional dominance of Hong Kong's airport and harbour.[3]

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