Workers finished the last main tower of the northern navigation channel bridge on the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge in east China's Zhejiang Province on Sunday, completing all main tower work for that section of the crossing.
The 29.2-km-long Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Railway Bridge, which is a crucial segment of the Nantong-Suzhou-Jiaxing-Ningbo High Speed Railway, consists of three navigation channel bridges and 26-km-long approach bridges. The bridge is designed for speeds of up to 350 kilometers per hour and features a ballastless double-track configuration.
The northern navigation channel bridge, measuring 932.7 meters in length, features two 200-meter-high main towers. The No. 8 tower was completed in January this year, and its twin, the No. 9 tower, was topped out on Sunday, making this the first of the three navigation channel bridges on the project to finish its main tower construction.
Hangzhou Bay, one of the world's three most challenging tidal estuaries, is notorious for its strong tides, swift currents and frequent typhoons, with winds above force six blowing about 180 days a year and tidal ranges reaching up to nine meters. The two main towers of the northern navigation channel bridge must therefore withstand these harsh maritime conditions while meeting the stringent requirements for rigidity, alignment and stability demanded by high-speed rail operations.
All main towers completed for Hangzhou Bay rail bridge's northern channel
