China's massive bridge opens

The world's largest bridge over water is now open to traffic. Measuring over 42km long the bridge links China's eastern port city of Qingdao with Huangdao Island. The new bridge is expected to carry traffic volumes of around 30,000 vehicles/day. During its construction close to 2.3 million m3 of concrete was poured, while it features over 5,000 pillars in its design. Construction of the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge required a team estimated to number 10,000. The bridge is 4km longer than the structure that previously held the record as the world's longest bridge over water, the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway in Louisiana. Estimates vary as to the cost of the project and China's Government has said the cost exceeded US$1 billion, although some experts suggest it could have cost up to $8.8 billion to construct.