Spanning an overall crossing length of 55 kilometers, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is a top contender for the title of the world's longest sea bridge. The bridge will connect Hong Kong and Macau to the coastal city of Zhuhai, essentially connecting the two territories back to Mainland China.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was opened recently and was inaugurated by China President Xi Jinping. The bridge is set to be opened to traffic before the week ends. The bridge aims to significantly reduce travel time between Hong Kong and the Chinese city of Zhuhai. While the conventional travel time before takes about four hours, the newly opened bridge will cut travel time to just about 30 minutes.
The ceremonial opening of the bridge took place on Tuesday, and the bridge will be open to the public the next day.
The 55-kilometer Hong Kong Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is designed to make it look like a snake. The bridge includes an underwater tunnel. The bridge also has links to Lantau Island in Hong Kong and the gambling district of Macau. The route to Macau also will give commuters a peek of the majestic Pearl River Estuary.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Bridge is widely considered as the second major infrastructure project implemented by the Chinese government as part of its effort to connect Hong Kong back to the mainland. The first of these projects being the high-speed rail link which was opened last month.
The construction of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge started in December 2009. The construction took nearly a decade to be completed at various engineering and structural problems have significantly affected the project's original timeline. Various delays have caused the total cost of the bridge to $20 billion to be fully constructed.
While the bridge aims to connect Hong Kong to mainland China, Hong Kong residents need to comply with a handful of regulations before they are granted a license to cross into Zhuhai by car. A highly selective criterion are also in place in order to help pick who are eligible to cross. The criteria will allow easy access across the bridge if they hold a certain government position in the mainland, as well as making contributions to charities located in the province of Guangdong located in the southern region of China.
The easiest way across the bridge would be through buses and private coaches. Private car owners should be able to cross the ridge if they have successfully applied for a special permit.
