World's longest cross-sea bridge opens in east China

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

China’s Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, the world’s longest cross-sea bridge, linking the eastern port city of Qingdao and the offshore island Huangdao, opens on June 30, 2011. [Photo/Xinhua]

Photo taken on June 29, 2011 shows an aerial view of Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge in Qingdao, east China's Shandong Province. (Xinhua Photo)

QINGDAO, June 30 (Xinhua) -- The world's longest cross-sea bridge spanning Jiaozhou Bay of Qingdao City, Shandong Province, opened on Thursday.

The opening ceremony of the 36.48-km eight-lane Qingdao Jiaozhou Bay Bridge was held Thursday morning.

The bridge, connecting the urban district of the city to its Huangdao district, cost 14.8 billion yuan (2.3 billion U.S. dollars). Construction of the bridge began in May 2007.

The bridge will shorten the route between the two centers by 30 km, cutting travel time down from over 40 minutes to around 20 minutes, said Han Shouxin, deputy director of the city's traffic management committee.

Previously, the longest cross-sea bridge in the world was the 36-km-long Hangzhou Bay Cross-sea Bridge that connects the cities of Jiaxing and Ningbo in east China's Zhejiang Province.