(Yicai Global) March 19 -- Haiwen Bridge in Hainan province officially finished construction and started to operate yesterday. It is China's first cross-sea bridge that spans a seismic fault.

Haiwen Bridge, which traverses Puqiang Bay in the northern tip of the island province, has adopted the level-1 highway construction standard and has two three-lane roadways.

Investment in the bridge totaled about CNY3 billion (USD448 million). It is 5.6 kilometers long and has a central support tower 152 meters high.

Bird's-eye view shows Haiwen Bridge.

Haiwen Bridge's opening has cut the travel time from Puqian town in Wenchang city to the provincial capital of Haikou from a previous one and a half hours to 20 minutes. The bridge will thus greatly speed up industrial integration and growth in northeastern Hainan.

Editor: Ben Armour