The Macau frontier inspection building of the HKZM Bridge
The Transport Bureau has announced that it aims to implement a traffic plan within 120 days of tomorrow’s opening of the Hong Kong-Macau-Zhuhai Bridge (HKZMB).
In a press conference on Friday, the DSAT explained that the plan aims to improve traffic conditions in the vicinity of Rotunda da Amizade, which is the crux of the road network connecting to the bridge.
Linking roads between Rotunda da Amizade, the reclamation area Zone A on
Macau Peninsula and the Macau boundary crossing area will be open in order
to serve traffic using the bridge.
DSAT director Lam Hin San said, “The traffic in the surrounding area will also face more pressure during the construction. The preliminary idea is to construct a two-way flyover to connect the Avenida do Nordeste and reclamation Zone A.”
“There will also be a flyover from Avenida do Nordeste to [the road connecting to the] Friendship Bridge, which will relieve the pressure on the Friendship Bridge in the future,” he added, as cited in a TDM report.
He then warned that this plan would cause some obstruction of views of the Oriental Pearl monument.
According to Lam, the bureau will also attempt to utilize the land plot of the now-defunct residential property Pearl Horizon to alleviate stress on the road network.
Meanwhile, two bus routes connecting the checkpoint, Macau Peninsula and Taipa will also be available.
One of the routes, 101X, which will connect Macau and the reclaimed area, will operate 24 hours a day. Meanwhile bus route 102X will run from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. between Taipa and the reclaimed land.
The Macau and Hong Kong checkpoints will be open 24 hours a day, while the Zhuhai/Macau checkpoint will initially only operate between 8 a.m. and 10 p.m.
During that time, Macau travelers bound for Zhuhai (and vice-versa) can instead use the Zhuhai-Macau boundary point vehicle clearance channels or the Hong Kong-Macau boundary crossing point.
Regarding immigration processing, residents will only have their documentation checked once as customs clearance between Macau and Zhuhai will be carried out on a “Joint Inspection and One-time Release” principle, in order to make the process efficient for travelers.
Under the new inspection system, travelers will be required to pass border control only once to complete departure and arrival formalities, via either the automatic, semi-automatic or manned channels, depending on their identification documents.
Checkpoint shuttles will be available to move people between boundary checkpoints.
Furthermore, government spokesperson Victor Chan noted that the bridge’s inauguration ceremony will take place 9 a.m. tomorrow at the Zhuhai border checkpoint, with operations commencing Wednesday.
“The [opening] of the bridge will foster the flow of people, goods and capital between Guangdong, Hong Kong and Macau. It will certainly have an important influence in aspects such as Macau’s economic development and the territory’s participation in regional co-operation,” said Chan.
The two HKZMB public car parks at the SAR’s boundary crossing area are located respectively at the east and west ends of the artificial island serving the checkpoint. The east car park has a capacity of 3,000 private vehicles and the west one has room for 3,089 private vehicles and 2,054 motorcycles.
The Chief Executive, Chui Sai On, will attend the opening ceremony of the HKZMB, to be held in Zhuhai at 9 a.m. tomorrow.
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