CONSTRUCTION of the main section of the Qingdao Bay Bridge was completed Dec. 23.

    The next step in the construction of the bridge will include deck paving, wiring and cabling, buildings and greenery.

    It is expected to open in June 2011.

    The bridge, crossing Jiaozhou Bay, will reduce the distance between Huandao and Qingdao by 30 km and save 20 minutes crossing Jiaozhou Bay.

    The bridge, being built by the Shandong Expressway Group, will have a total length of 38 km and will be one of the longest bridges in the world.

    The bridge has six lanes with a designed speed of 80 kmph.

    The life of the bridge is 100 years.

    The Qingdao Bay Bridge is the start of the Qingdao-Lanzhou Expressway.

    It is one of the transport projects connecting urban areas of Qingdao within one hour and other cities on Shandong Peninsula within four hours.(Chen Ting, Zhu Ying)