Project Overview

The Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link (Shenzhong Corridor) is a major cross-sea transportation project in the Pearl River Delta, connecting Shenzhen, Zhongshan and Guangzhou (Nansha District).
As the eastern section of National Expressway G2518 (Shenzhen–Cenxi Expressway), the corridor integrates bridge, artificial islands, immersed tunnel and underwater interchanges into a single transport system.

The overall length is approximately 24 km, including a 6,845 m immersed tunnel, of which 5,035 m consists of 32 prefabricated immersed tube elements and one final joint. It is the world’s first two-way, eight-lane steel shell concrete immersed tube tunnel.

UHPC Bridge Deck Overlay Application

For the connection highway and bridge deck sections, Super Tough UHPC was applied as a bridge deck overlay system to meet the demanding requirements of heavy traffic, high durability and long service life.

The UHPC overlay was selected to:

• Enhance surface strength and fatigue resistance

• Improve durability under continuous heavy traffic loads

• Reduce long-term maintenance in a marine and coastal environment

Material Performance

The pre-mixed Super Tough UHPC bridge deck overlay provides:

• High compressive and flexural strength suitable for expressway traffic

• Low permeability and strong resistance to water ingress

• Excellent bonding performance with the existing deck structure

• Stable behavior under repeated loading and environmental exposure

These properties make UHPC particularly suitable for critical highway and immersed-tunnel approach sections.

Engineering Value

Applying UHPC bridge deck overlay on the Shenzhen–Zhongshan Link connection highway improves structural reliability while extending service life under high-intensity use.
The solution supports the corridor’s role as a key regional transport artery and reduces future maintenance interventions.