The Quanzhou Bay cross-sea bridge, part of the Fuzhou-Xiamen high-speed railway, is set to receive the Theodore Cooper Award at the 2024 International Bridge Conference in June. [Photo provided to chinadaily.com.cn]

The bridge does not require wind barriers, allowing high-speed trains to operate without speed restrictions under wind speeds of up to level 8 and keeping traffic open under level 11 gales. In 2023, it withstood level 15 winds from Super Typhoon Doksuri and passed dynamic testing for high-speed travel at 385 km/h over the sea, eliminating the need for restricted speed zones on long-span sea-crossing bridges.

Designed by the China Railway Siyuan Survey and Design Group, the bridge began construction in 2017 and opened for traffic in September 2023. It has enabled the cities of Fuzhou, Quanzhou and Xiamen in Fujian province to form a one-hour transportation circle.