Traffic jam on new Hangzhou Bay bridge

Hangzhou Bay Bridge, one of the longest bridges in the world, has just been put into trial operations. However, despite the latest building technology, the swarm of curious visitors has created good old fashioned traffic jams!

From 5:00 o'clock in the morning, all the entrances of the Hangzhou Bay Bridge have been congested by cars. By noon, 20 to 30 thousand cars have been forming into a long queue about eight kilometers on the north bank to the bridge. Many people driving from Shanghai and Jiangsu Province and tourists want to get a good look at the magnificence of the bridge.

The policeman in charge of traffic control at the bridge says many tourists are staying at the bridge and are even taking pictures in the middle of the road which causes the traffic congestion. The policeman is reminding visitors that they are not allowed to stay on the bridge until the sightseeing platform is completed next June.

On Thursday, China opened one of the world's longest bridges, the Hangzhou Bay Bridge, which will provide an important new route into Shanghai and boost the regional economy. The 1.7 billion US dollar bridge is 36 kilometers long, cutting the length of the road trip from Shanghai to Ningbo by 120 kilometers, shaving at least one hour off the journey time for travellers.