Guangdong initiates Level I wind emergency for highways

As of noon on Wednesday, a Level I wind emergency response has been initiated for 52 expressway sections in Guangdong province, local transportation authorities said.

The Level I emergency response is the highest of China's four-tier warning system.

Most of the highway sections are in the coastal areas of western Guangdong, where the Super Typhoon Ragasa is forecast to make landfall between the cities of Yangjiang and Zhanjiang on late Wednesday, according to Guangdong Transportation Group.

The expressway sections include the Huangmaohai Cross-sea Link and the Shenzhen-Zhongshan Link, two mega cross-sea projects in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and other cross-sea bridges.

Additionally, 31 more expressway sections, including the Shantou Bay Bridge and the Chaoshan Ring Expressway, are under a Level II wind emergency response, according to the group.

As of 4 pm on Wednesday, the center of Ragasa is approximately 65 kilometers southeast of Yangjiang over the sea, with its intensity decreasing to a strong typhoon level, local meteorological authorities said.