Are you familiar with a bridge in China, which used to be the most profitable in the country, with a daily income of up to 6 million, however, now there are few trucks on the bridge?
This majestic Humen Bridge is located in Guangdong Province, what are the stories and vicissitudes of life?
The Humen Bridge spans the Shiziyang at the mouth of the Pearl River and is a two-way six-lane suspension bridge with a total length of 15With a main span of 76 kilometers and a main span of 888 meters, it is also the first large-scale suspension bridge in China.
It connects Nansha District of Guangzhou City and Humen Town of Dongguan City, and is an important part of Guangzhou-Shenzhen Expressway.
Before the construction of the Humen Bridge, traffic on both sides of the Pearl River was mainly dependent on ferries. However, due to the wide waters and complex waterways of the Shiziyang River Estuary in the Pearl River Estuary, the ferry capacity is limited and the traffic efficiency is low.
With the advancement of reform and opening up, Guangzhou, Shenzhen, Dongguan and other cities in the Pearl River Delta have developed rapidly, and the number of cars has increased sharply. As a result, the waiting time for ferries to cross the river has increased, sometimes taking several hours, seriously affecting the flow of people and goods on both sides of the Pearl River, and restricting economic and social development.
The construction of the Humen Bridge is not only of political significance, but also a technological breakthrough. First of all, as a gift to Hong Kong's return to the motherland, the Humen Bridge was officially opened to traffic on July 1, 1997. It symbolizes the motherland's care and support for Hong Kong, and at the same time demonstrates the strong strength of the motherland.
In addition, in the design and construction of the bridge, Chinese engineers overcame many difficulties and challenges, and created this world-class engineering miracle with wisdom and sweat. From the planning in 1981 to the official start of construction in 1992, it lasted more than 10 years, during which it encountered many problems such as capital, technology and environment. However, through extensive research and cooperation at home and abroad, coupled with continuous technical research and innovation, it was completed and opened to traffic in 1997, which took only five years.
The construction of the Humen Bridge faced many technical challenges, including geology, hydrology, topography, navigation, and road network. The biggest challenge was how to design and build the extra-large, long-span steel box girder suspension bridge. At that time, China lacked the experience and technology to do so, and foreign experts were reluctant to provide support. Therefore, Guangdong Province has hired a technical advisory group composed of well-known bridge experts in China to jointly overcome technical difficulties and achieve a number of technological innovations.
The construction of the Humen Bridge was funded by 3 billion yuan, which was a huge amount at the time. The domestic finance and banks could not provide sufficient funds, so Guangdong Province** signed a cooperation agreement with Hong Kong's Hopewell Industries***, and the latter provided all the construction funds. The company was founded by patriotic overseas Chinese Hu Yingxiang, one of the first Hong Kong businessmen to invest in the mainland, with projects focused on infrastructure.
However, the toll policy after the opening of the Humen Bridge has caused controversy. The charging standard makes different provisions for the type and displacement of the vehicle, with a minimum of 50 yuan and a maximum of 200 yuan. This was one of the most expensive charges in the country at the time, and many car owners felt it was unfair and burdened them heavily.
At the same time, the toll time of the Humen Bridge has not been clearly specified, and the company not only includes the construction cost when calculating the cost, but also calculates the interest, management fee, maintenance fee, etc., resulting in the delay in the toll collection time until 2005.
The charging method adopts manual charging, which is inefficient and easy to cause traffic congestion, violations and accidents. On July 1, 2005, the toll of the Humen Bridge was officially abolished and the Guangdong Provincial Department of Communications took over the management. This marks the transformation of the Humen Bridge from a commercial project to a public welfare project, highlighting the attention and support of Guangdong Province for the development of transportation on both sides of the Pearl River.
The Humen Bridge has witnessed the process of China's reform and opening up, demonstrated the achievements of scientific and technological innovation, and is a symbol of the development of transportation on both sides of the Pearl River. Its construction is an important microcosm of China's modernization and a symbol of national pride.
Over the past 26 years, the Humen Bridge has played an important role in promoting the integration of the two sides of the Pearl River and improving the happiness index. It will continue to make more contributions to the transportation industry on both sides of the Pearl River.