On June 30th, the opening ceremony of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge was held at the Pearl River Estuary in Guangdong. This event marks the official launch of this core transportation hub in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, which took seven years to build and has set multiple world records.
In the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge project, Poly Changda Engineering, a subsidiary of Poly International, was responsible for several construction tasks, including the bridge, underwater tunnel, dredging, steel deck pavement, infrastructure, and maintenance. Over more than 2,500 days of hard work, Poly has independently innovated and bravely faced challenges, overcoming complex marine environments and geological conditions. Poly successfully achieved the construction goal, setting eight world records and filling several gaps both in China and globally.
(1,666 meters, the world’s longest span)
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge adopted a floating three-span suspension bridge design, with the main span reaching 1,666 meters. Poly Changda Engineering innovatively employed various construction techniques, including lift welding, setting a world record for the longest-span steel box girder suspension bridge over the sea.
(76.5 meters, the world’s highest navigable clearance)
The Port of Nansha in Guangzhou, where the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is located, is one of the busiest ports in the world. To ensure the smooth passage of vessels, the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge, co-constructed by Poly Changda Engineering, was built at a height of 76.5 meters. This set the world record for the highest navigable clearance of an offshore bridge, capable of accommodating over ten thousand vessel transits per month.
(344,000 cubic meters, the world’s largest offshore suspension bridge anchor)
To ensure the quality of the bridge, Poly Changda Engineering independently developed key technologies and constructed the world's largest offshore suspension bridge anchor. Each anchor contains approximately 344,000 cubic meters of concrete and weighs up to one million tons, acting as a "stabilizing force" in the sea.
(83.7 m/s, the world’s fastest test wind speed that could be withstood by a suspension bridge)
The Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge is located in a coastal high-wind zone, where wind speeds exceed 39-49 km/h (24-30 mph) for more than 200 days each year, with frequent occurrences of strong typhoons. Poly Changda Engineering participated in the development and use of 2060 MPa high-strength steel wires, helping to increase the critical flutter wind speed of the suspension bridge to 83.7 m/s (187 mph), making it capable of withstanding typhoons with wind speeds of up to 61.2 m/s (137 mph).
(378,800 square meters, the world’s largest hot-mix epoxy asphalt steel deck pavement)
Faced with the largest epoxy asphalt steel deck pavement in construction history, Poly Changda Engineering independently developed an intelligent construction system. This system pioneered full automation in the industry for epoxy asphalt pavement, setting three consecutive world records in the daily construction area of hot-mix epoxy asphalt steel bridge deck pavement.
(5,035 meters, the world’s longest bi-directional, eight-lane underwater tunnel)
The under-sea immersed tunnel of the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Bridge spans approximately 5,035 meters in length, consisting of 32 sections resembling "aircraft carrier-sized" segments. Poly Changda Engineering was responsible for the pouring, prefabrication, floating transportation, and installation of nine tube sections on the east side of the tunnel, completing about one-third of the project scope.
(55.46 meters, the world’s widest underwater tunnel with steel shell and concrete filling)
To ensure the navigational conditions of the underwater route, Poly Changda Engineering utilized a "sandwich" structure of "external steel shell + internal concrete filling." They employed precision construction techniques such as dockside onshore pouring, waterborne floating transport, and underwater sinking placement to achieve millimeter-level accuracy in the underwater installation of tube sections, demonstrating meticulous craftsmanship in the process.
(910,000 cubic meters, the world’s largest single-volume pour of self-compacting concrete for a steel-shell underwater tunnel)
The quality of tube section pouring is crucial, and Poly Changda Engineering developed a self-compacting concrete with high flowability, stability, and low shrinkage. Achieving 100% compactness, they successfully poured approximately 236,000 cubic meters of concrete, ensuring a watertight seal for the underwater route.
Transportation is fundamental to a strong nation. In recent years, Poly Changda Engineering has closely aligned with national strategies and integrated into overall development efforts. It has successfully delivered key infrastructure projects such as the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, Nansha Bridge, S8 Guangzhou–Foshan–Zhaoqing Expressway (Guangwu Expressway), Beijing Daxing International Airport, and others. Its achievements include over 300 national-level honors, standards, and patents, reflecting its commitment to excellence in infrastructure development. Recently, at the national sci-tech conference, the national science and technology award conference, and the general assemblies of the members of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and the Chinese Academy of Engineering (CAE), the "Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge Cluster Project" was awarded the first prize in the National Science and Technology Progress Award. This achievement represents a new milestone for Poly Changda Engineering's contribution to the cause of "a country with strong transportation network."