After 10 years of preparations, construction on China's first cross-sea bridge starts today at the Hangzhou Bay in east China.
With an estimated price tag of 11.8 billion yuan (US$1.42 billion), the 36-km-long bridge will be the longest of its kind in the world.
The stayed-cable bridge, linking Cixi City on the southern bank of the bay with Jiaxing City on the northern bank, will be built in five years.
With a designed life span of 100 years, it will have six lanes in two directions, with a designed driving speed of 100 kilometers per hour.
Upon completion, daily traffic volume on the bridge is estimated to reach 45,000 vehicles during its first year of operation.
(Xinhua News Agency June 8, 2003)
