Experts divided about impact of proposed Zhuhai-Shenzhen bridge on HKZMB

Some economic commentators and experts have expressed fears that plans for a Zhuhai-Shenzhen bridge would impact traffic on the Hong Kong-Zhuhai- Macau Bridge, while others say that there is nothing to worry about.

A plan to build a bridge connecting the two cities was first unveiled by Zhuhai mayor Yao Yisheng at the end of the annual session of Guangdong’s legislature last month. Authorities in the neighboring city hope to start the planning of the bridge soon in a bid to boost the coastal zone’s economy.

The proposed bridge, which would be 46.5km in length, would be located midway between a bridge being built to connect Shenzhen and Zhongshan to its north and the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge to its south. Under the plan, it is scheduled to open in 2024.

Some commentators have noted that the proposal was only made as mainland authorities vetoed Shenzhen’s inclusion in the HKZMB project, despite its petition. Zhuhai Party Chief Guo Yonghang said that the proposal had been in mind for a long time.

The official said the municipal governments of Zhuhai and Shenzhen would have to convince the central authorities that the project would be financially sustainable, environmentally friendly and not redundant, as cited in a report by the South China Morning Post.

Although some experts feared that the project will reduce traffic on the HKZMB, which has not met Hong Kong’s daily traffic volume projections of 14,000 vehicles a day as of Jan. 15, some economists expressed that it is too early to assess any impact.

Currently, Hong Kong travelers can get to Shenzhen via high-speed train which opened in September and reach Shenzhen in less than 20 minutes.

Thus, some experts are also suggesting that travelers might prefer to take the high-speed rail to Shenzhen and Hong Kong rather than the cross-border bridge.

Mao Yanhua, a regional economy expert at Guangzhou’s Sun Yat-sen University, remarked, “the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is a project promoting the ‘one country, two systems’ principle and [is] therefore firmly supported by the central government.”

Meanwhile, experts from Hong Kong’s public transport system also said that they were not worried about the impact on Hong Kong once the project is approved, as freight moving between Hong Kong and the west bank of the Pearl River Delta only accounted for 5 percent of the city’s total freight.

Lam Hoi-tat, president of the Hong Kong Container Tractor Owner Association, said that freight vehicles using the USD18.77 billion bridge are not allowed to enter Macau, thus expressing his belief that use of the bridge will improve when freight can also enter Macau.

The veteran added that the development of the Greater Bay Area would lead to more relaxation of license regulations and customs checks at the bridge, which would help boost traffic.

Qu Jian, a Shenzhen-based economist and vice-president of the China Development Institute think tank, supports the Zhuhai-Shenzhen bridge and expects that the proposed bridge will take away some traffic from the HKZMB.

“The development of the bay area requires a more efficient flow of talent and a high-speed rail network that covers the whole Pearl River Delta,” he said, noting that the low traffic flow on the HKZMB showed that it was a failure and a big lesson for cities in the Greater Bay Area.

He believed it’s failure was due to the fact that the 55km project did that include a link to Shenzhen.