The Chinese government also said the statement to explain how the bridge collapsed, expected to be released "within 5 years," is nearly complete as well.

"Whenever the things decides to fail, and hundreds if not thousands of Chinese citizens needlessly perish, we'll be ready to explain how the hell it happened," said a Chinese “construction official."

The bridge cost 11.8 billion yuan ($1.7 billion US), 54 months, untold man-hours, and nearly 100,000 "construction workers" to finish the project. Of the 100,000 workers, "only 23,871 lost their lives building it."

The 23,871 workers represents a 17% reduction in fatalities over the last large Chinese construction undertaking, a 2006 effort described as a "massive building somewhere in Beijing that's now a mound of unrecognizable mortar, glass, and dead bodies," a Chinese official said.

The Hangzhou Bridge was opened to traffic on a trial basis at 11.58 pm, the Xinhua news agency said. However, officials did not know how long the trial would last. Speculation lingered the trial may last "until the precise moment when the bridge gives way, sending thousands of citizens plummeting toward a mass, watery grave."

Until the bridge buckles and crashes into the sea, the Chinese navy will patrol the area with "speedboats with life preservers," just in case the bridge fails before the predicted 5-year period.

Yet many Chinese people expressed reservations about the bridge and even the life preservers. "They're made in China, after all," said Zhou Xhainzg, 24. "Probably won't do much if they're forced into action. Might as well throw us a couple of cement blocks."