An important phase in the construction of the huge Tongmingwan Bridge in Guangdong's Zhanjiang?was recently completed, with the last of the bridge's girders put in place on Feb 12.

The 8,973-meter bridge is a crucial part of west Guangdong's coastal high-speed rail project. The Donghai Island Railway will support key projects for Baosteel and the Sino-Kuwaiti refinery on the 286-square-kilometer island south of Zhanjiang city.

Workers erect girders on the Tongmingwan Bridge. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

The railway, with a total investment budget of 4.2 billion yuan ($612 million) will be 57 kilometers long and will have two sections.

One section will stretch from Huanglue Station along the Maoming-Zhanjiang High-Speed Railway to Zhanjiang West Station on the Zhanjiang-Hai'an Railway.

Each crossbeam of the bridge is made up of two I-girders. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]

This part will be double-tracked and electrified. It will be capable of transporting passengers and cargo, and is expected to reach a speed of 200 kph.

The other route will connect the west station with the two project bases across the Tongmingwan Bridge. Its target running speed will be 120 kph.

Workers connect crossbeams on the bridge. [Photo/zjphoto.yinsha.com]