The final cable splay saddle on the Shiziyang Link was hoisted into place on July 28, completing saddle installation on the Pearl River crossing and clearing the way for cable work to begin, according to Guangdong Provincial Communication Group Co., Ltd.
The 35-kilometer link connects Guangzhou's Nansha District with the towns of Humen and Shatian in Dongguan. Its main bridge, the Shiziyang Bridge, is the world's first double-deck suspension bridge with a main span of more than 2,000 meters, carrying 16 lanes across 2 decks. The group says the design has set 5 world records.
The crossing uses four massive cable-splay saddles, which act as heavy-duty cable dividers. Set near each end of the bridge, they fan the thousands of steel wires bundled inside the main cable into smaller strands, which are anchored to deep concrete foundations.
Each saddle stands about 9.2 meters high and 7.2 meters wide and weighs more than 320 metric tons, making them the largest ever built.
The main bridge has entered the superstructure phase, and the project is due for completion in 2029. Once open, it will improve connectivity among the three major metropolitan areas in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area: Shenzhen-Hong Kong, Guangzhou-Foshan and Zhuhai-Macao.
Author | Dong Han
Photos | Guangdong Provincial Communication Group Co., Ltd., Nanfang Plus
