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China Travel

Bridge Travel: China Opens Longest Trans-Oceanic Bridge in the World

July 27, 2008 at 11:30 AM | 0 Comments

When it comes to amazing feats of civil engineering, it's hard to surpass China these days. From the Three Gorges Dam to the Beijing National Stadium, it seems like there's a new monument to people power every other week. One of the latest big projects to be unveiled is the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, a 35-kilometer long bridge that connects Shanghai and Ningbo. Billed as the longest trans-oceanic bridge in the world, it shaves 120 kilometers off the trip between the two municipalities and gives people the thrill of driving vast distances over open ocean in a car.

The bridge has been open to the public since May 1, but you might not be able to get a really good look at it for another year or so. That's because a service center complex at the halfway point is still under construction, leaving drivers with no place to stop and stare. But when it does open, it could be pretty sweet: plans include a hotel, shops, and rest area as well as a funky-looking observation tower. The tower is sure to be a hit among visiting Americans, because, as the Onion points out in a recent item, U.S. tourists just love going to the tops of things.

Related Stories:
· Hangzhou Bay Bridge [Official Site]
· China's Quest to Build the Biggest and Tallest [MSNBC]
· Bridge Travel Coverage [Jaunted]