A bird's-eye view of Xinjian Bridge, which crosses the Qiantang River in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province. [Photo/WeChat account: hzfbwx]

Construction is speeding up on Xinjian Bridge, which crosses the Qiantang River and will connect transportation hubs with urban Hangzhou once completed, local media reported on Feb 23.

The bridge has a total length of 1,350.8 meters and features two layers – an upper layer designed for vehicles moving at a maximum of 80 kilometers per hour and a lower layer for metro lines.

The bridge will serve as an important part of the Shanghai-Hangzhou-Ningbo highway and will be part of the metro line connecting Hangzhou International Airport with urban areas such as Qianjiang New City, Hangzhoudong Railway Station, and Hangzhouxi Railway Station (currently being planned). It will also reduce traffic congestion during the 19th Asian Games, which will be held in Hangzhou in September 2022.

According to the head of the construction group responsible for building the bridge, construction continued over the Spring Festival holiday, and the bridge's two sections are expected to be joined in June and its main body completed in September.