China opened the world's longest cross-sea bridge today linking the financial hub of Shanghai with the port city of Ningbo.
A ceremony in the middle of the 36km cable-stayed structure, which spans Hangzhou Bay in Zhejiang Province south of Shanghai, marked the official opening before several hundred spectators.
The €1.09bn bridge will open to traffic on a trial basis at midnight, shortening travel time between Shanghai and Ningbo, two key port cities in China's prosperous Yangtze River Delta, to two-and-a-half hours from four.
Trucks, overloaded vehicles and vehicles carrying dangerous chemicals will be barred from the bridge during the trial period.
The bridge is China's first major public infrastructure project to receive investment from the country's private sector, which funded almost 30% of the cost.
