Jiaozhou, a county-level city in Qingdao, Shandong province will be connected to the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge when a branch line begins trial operations at the end of this month.

According to the Jiaozhou transport bureau, the branch line started construction in March 2017 and passed acceptance inspection on Dec 28, 2019.

Spanning a distance of 2,827 meters, the branch line is intended to supplement Jiaozhou Bay Bridge, and is one of Qingdao's key traffic infrastructure projects.

The line reduces the travel time between the China-Shanghai Cooperation Organization Demonstration Zone for Local Economic and Trade Cooperation and the central urban area of Qingdao to just 30 minutes, officially integrating Jiaozhou into Qingdao's so-called "half-hour economic circle".

The T-shaped Jiaozhou Bay Bridge is a 36.48-km-long roadway bridge in Qingdao. The bridge, part of the Jiaozhou Bay Connection Project, is designed to provide better connectivity between the two fast-growing industrial regions on either side of Jiaozhou Bay.

Jiaozhou Bay Bridge was opened to the public on June 30, 2011, shortening the travel time between Qingdao and Huangdao district to around 30 minutes.

The branch line (in red) connects Jiaozhou to the Jiaozhou Bay Bridge (in yellow). [Photo/QTV-1]

Workers add a few finishing touches to the branch line. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

The branch line will start trial operations at the end of this month. [Photo/qingdaonews.com]

Photo shows Jiaozhou Bay Bridge against a sunset in Qingdao, East China's Shandong province. The 36.48-km cross-sea bridge connects the urban district of Qingdao to its Huangdao district. [Photo/sipaphoto.com]