The new Nanping Bridge over the Qianshan River may open by the end of June now that decks are being paved and auxiliary facilities installed since the final precast beam was placed on May 24.

The 1,544-m (1,689-yd) dual eight-lane structure extends from the Zaobei Interchange in Qianshan, passes over Jinji Road and the Qianshan River to Pingxi Road and continues along Nanwan Avenue to Zhuhai Avenue in Nanping. It is designed for a speed of 60 kmph (37 mph).

New Nanping Bridge under construction [Photo: Nanfang Plus]

The bridge will serve as a key node of north-south Jinqin Express Road. That highway connects Gangwan Avenue and Jinfeng Road in Jinding Town of Tangjiawan to the Beijing-Hong Kong-Macao Expressway in the south and Shenzhen-Zhongshan Corridor sea channel to the north.

The bridge and express road will alleviate traffic pressure in Qianshan and Nanping, while facilitating travel to the National Hi-Tech Industrial Development Zone (Tanjiawan), Gongbei, Hengqin New Area, and Zhongshan's Tanzhou.

The express road will also support economic integration of Zhuhai, Hong Kong, and Macao as well as the coordinated economic development of other cities in the Pearl River Delta.

Opened in 1987, the former dual two-lane Nanping Bridge was one of the first built over the Qianshan River. It was demolished in April 2018 after 30 years of service.