General assembly of the G2 section of Huangmao Sea Channel's steel bridge structure started on June 18 at Wuchuan Heavy Engineering Zhongshan Base, with the whole steel structure expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

The Huangmao Sea Channel is a key passage for the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area to connect western Guangdong. A total of 140,000 metric tons of steel will be used in the project's four sections, of which 7,000 tons will be for stay cables. 

Steel girders of approach bridges, barriers, as well as other subsidiary facilities of the Gaolan Port Bridge and G2 section of the Huangmao Sea Bridge will also be built by Wuchuan Heavy Engineering, with a total steel consumption of 43,000 tons.

Steel girders of approach bridges will finish unit manufacturing in Wuhan and then go through assembly and coating in sections at Zhongshan Base before being shipped and connected at their designated place. Currently, the unit manufacturing in Wuhan has entered batch construction, with a monthly production capacity of 6,000 tons. Upon operation, the approach bridges will be able to allow 50,000-ton ships to pass through. 

Once operational, the dual six-lane sea channel will serve as a western extension of the HZMB along with the Hezhou-Gaolan Port Expressway. It will connect Zhuhai's Pingsha Town and Taishan's Doushan Town in Jiangmen with a designed speed limit of 100 kmph (62 mph). 

General assembly factory [Photo by Li Jianshu & Liu Chunyue / Zhuhai Daily]