The Humen Pearl River Bridge, China

The Humen Bridge across the mouth of the Pearl River is an important link in the expressway network of Guangdong Province in southern China, connecting the Shenzhen and Zhuhai Economic Zones, as well as the rest of the coastal region, with Hong Kong and Macao. The 3618-m-long bridge is divided into five sections: the east approach, the main navigation channel section, the middle approach, an auxiliary navigation channel bridge, and the west approach. Geological conditions at the bridge site are relatively good, with bedrock overlaid by thin soil layers, although conditions differ on each side of the river. Hurricanes are common occurrences, so the design wind speed at the bridge deck level was established at 61 m/s.