Stonecutters Bridge, the world’s second longest spanning cable-stayed bridge, opened on 20 December 2009.
- Stonecutters Bridge: Ten years in the making an interactive timeline of the making of Stonecutters Bridge
With a highly distinctive form, the bridge’s design features include a 1,018m-long steel main span supported by two 290m-tall concrete and stainless steel towers and a 53m-wide deck split into two streamlined boxes connected by ross girders.
Stonecutters is one of only two cable-stayed bridges with a span in excess of 1,000m. The innovative bridge design provides a vertical clearance of 73.5m over the navigation channel. The sheer size of the bridge meant that extremely accurate dimensional control was required during the casting of concrete, prefabrication and assembly of large-scale steel elements that make up the deck.During construction, Arup's East Asia Chairman LM Lui said: “The most challenging part is the coordination between the various elements of the bridge. All parts have to fit together, which means close coordination between the temporary and permanent works and between on-site and off-site construction.” The bridge straddles the Rambler Channel at the entrance to the Kwai Chung container terminals, providing a landmark gateway to one of the world’s most vibrant trade centres. It will facilitate logistics industry development and will play an important role in coping with growing traffic between Northeast New Territories, Kowloon and western part of Hong Kong.The 1.6km long crossing will be the centrepiece of the new Route 8 strategic link, a 7.6km dual three-lane expressway linking Cheung Sha Wan and Tsing Yi Island. The route will improve access between the International Airport and the urban areas of West Kowloon and provide enhanced links to the container port – one of the busiest in the world.
Arup provided a broad range of services to the project including civil, structural, mechanical and electrical, geotechnical, traffic, wind, marine and durability detailed engineering design and construction supervision.