China Starts Surveys on Hangzhou Bay in Preparation for Sea BridgeA group of 80 Chinese scientists today left Hangzhou, capital of east China's Zhejiang Province, to start a series of surveys involving hydrology and marine environment in Hangzhou Bay and the bay's ecosystem."The survey directly affects the design of the foundation for the construction of a new bridge on Hangzhou Bay," Zheng Lianfu, a research fellow who is heading the survey team, said, adding that the task is arduous as Hangzhou Bay is well-known for its rough tide surges. According to Zheng, they will use 17 ships to carry out synchro surveys into the hydrology and silting in navigational sea areas in Hangzhou Bay. They will also spend one year monitoring waves to provide detailed reports on wave movements. The projected bridge will span across Hangzhou Bay from Cixi, on the southern bank of the bay, and end at Haiyan County of Jiaxing. The thoroughfare, which will be a six-lane expressway super bridge, will 40 kilometers long and will cost 6.5 billion yuan. The main bridge will be 27.78 kilometers long. Construction on the project will start in 2002 and is scheduled to be completed in 2006. Upon completion, the bridge will link up with Shanghai, Hangzhou and another coastal city of Ningbo and help cut the land distance between Shanghai and Ningbo by 130 kilometers. Experts believe the new bridge will help promote the development of an economic zone on Hangzhou Bay and the beach area. |
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