The construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao bridge has entered its crucial final stages. The installation of the final joint for the project's undersea tunnel began early on Tuesday morning. However, while the world's largest cross-sea bridge is expected to open soon, many challenges still lie ahead.
Weighing 6,000 tons, the trapezoid sandwich-style final joint finally made its appearance. The large reinforced concrete structure, like a wedge, will connect the underground E29 and E30 tunnels after being hoisted into place by the world's largest single-armed revolving floating crane.
This stage will mark the completion of the 5,664-meter long undersea tunnel, which is expected to be in operation for the next 120 years.
To make sure no water leakage occurs at the joints between the immersed tubes and the final joint, 160 workers will have to finish the soldering work within 15 days.
The bridge is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017 and the Y-shaped bridge will eventually be 55 kilometers long. Starting from Lantau Island in Hong Kong, with branches to Zhuhai and Macao, the bridge will cut the four-hour drive from Hong Kong to Zhuhai to under one hour.
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