The Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link is a bridge–tunnel which connects two major cities on the Pearl River Delta (PRD) in China: the city of Shenzhen on the eastern side of the PRD, and the city of Zhongshan on the western side. It consists of a series of bridges and tunnels (Shenzhen–Zhongshan Tunnel, Shenzhen–Zhongshan Bridge & Zhongshan Bridge), starting from Bao'an International Airport on the Shenzhen side.
The proposed 49.7 km eight-lane link was completed in 2024 and was expected to cost around US$4.83 billion.[2] It is located about 27 km downriver from the Humen Bridge, previously the only bridge crossing of the estuary, and some 32 km north of the new Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge, which links the cities of Hong Kong, Zhuhai, and Macau at the southern end of the PRD. Construction started in May 2017 and opened on 30 June 2024.[4][5]
History
Shenzhen lobbied hard in the early 2000s to be included in the Hong Kong–Zhuhai–Macau Bridge project through a proposed double-Y-shaped design with one of the extensions connecting Shenzhen to the structure, but the Government of China picked a single-Y-shaped design in 2004, leaving Shenzhen out of the project. The idea of a separate link to connect Shenzhen with Zhongshan was originally proposed in 2008, but was shelved for several years amid concerns it could jeopardize the success of a bridge between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macau. It was eventually included in the Guangdong government's 12th five-year plan, unveiled by Guangdong governor Huang Huahua on 9 January 2011.[6]
The project consists of a 6.7 km tunnel starting on the Shenzhen side, and 19 bridges totaling 43 km (aggregate length); the longest continuous section of bridge is about 22.5 km, from which about 15.5 km stretches above sea.[7] There are four lanes in each direction, with a maximum speed of 100 km/h. The bridge joins the Guangshen Expressway to the south of Shenzhen airport and the Jihe Expressway to the east of the airport on the eastern side of the delta with the Zhongjiang Expressway on the western side. It cut travel time from Shenzhen to Zhongshan to less than 30 minutes.
The bridge on the day of opening
On 30 June 2024, the bridge opened to traffic. Shenzhen created inter-city bus lines between it and Zhongshan. In the first days after opening, users including drivers and passengers reported congestion on the bridge, some had to wait hours or made detours using the Humen Bridge instead.[8]
Usage
In the first month after its opening, there were over 3 million vehicle crossings.[9]
.gif)
