Construction site of Phase II of the Liuheng Highway Bridge. [Photo/zhoushan.cn]

The casting of lower crossbeam for Shuangyu Gate Bridge's Fodu tower, as the Phase II of the Liuheng Highway Bridge, in Zhoushan, East China's Zhejiang province, was completed on May 12, marking a critical breakthrough for this 1,768-meter-span Shuangyu Gate Bridge.

The structure will eventually link Liuheng Island to Fodu Island as part of the Ningbo-Zhoushan integration project.

With the height of an 85-story building, Fodu tower is made up of three crossbeams. The newly finished lower segment measures 33.7 meters long and required 1,850 cubic meters of concrete in a single continuous pour. Engineers employed bracket-free asynchronous construction techniques to complete this two-story-tall component.

An intelligent monitoring system ensured precision during the complex pour at 6.5-meter elevation. Sensors tracked real-time stress, deformation, and temperature data while 3D visualization platforms enabled dynamic adjustments. This digital twin approach allowed instant detection of micro-parameter shifts during the critical reinforcement phase.

When the Liuheng Highway Bridge opens in 2026, travel between Liuheng in Zhoushan and Ningbo will shrink from 40 minutes by ferry to 10 minutes by car. The infrastructure will transform transportation for Zhoushan's southern islands and accelerate economic integration between Ningbo and Zhoushan.

As the tower's construction progresses toward its final height, the bridge exemplifies China's advanced marine engineering capabilities. Each millimeter-precise component brings the region closer to realizing its cross-strait development ambitions.