On May 1, 2008 (March 26, 2008, the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge was put into trial operation and opened to traffic. With a total length of 36 kilometers, the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge is the longest cross-sea bridge built or under construction in the world. Upon completion, it will shorten the land distance between Ningbo and Shanghai by 120 kilometers. In 1993, preparations for the construction of the Hangzhou Bay Transportation Corridor-the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge were begun. In December 2001, through bidding, it was determined that the consortium of China Communications Highway Planning and Design Institute, China Railway Bridge Survey and Design Institute and the Third Aviation Institute of the Ministry of Communications would undertake the project design tasks. On June 8, 2003, a groundbreaking ceremony was held for the bridge project. Construction of the main project started on November 14. On March 16, 2004, the project entered the full construction stage. On May 1, 2008, the Hangzhou Bay Cross-Sea Bridge, which took 53 months of construction, was put into trial operation and opened to traffic.