The completed review of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge requested by Chinese authorities has been positive, with it being declared a ‘quality construction,’ Xinhua News Agency reported on April 19.
The structure, which is longer than 55km and was inaugurated on October 23, 2018, has set multiple world records such as the one of the ‘Longest Sea Bridge’, according to the Academy of World Records.
“It provides valuable lessons for the construction of cross-sea infrastructure in the future,” the committee in charge of the review formed by the Ministry of Transport, the National Development and Reform Commission and the Hong Kong and Macao Affairs Office of the State Council said in a statement.
An aerial view of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, whose construction began in 2009 and was completed in 2018 for a total budget of $20 billion – Reuters
According to Xinhua, the bridge increases people-to-people exchanges and trade in the Guangdong-Hong-Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area (GBA), and the time required to drive from Zhuhai to the Hong-Kong International Airport has decreased to 45 minutes from 4 hours, with 65km to travel instead 200km.
By the end of 2022, the bridge’s Zhuhai land port had handled over 500 billion yuan ($72.7 billion) of imports and exports involving 230 countries and regions, official data showed.
The port’s average daily clearance has been around 7,300 vehicles since April, an increase of 28% compared to the first quarter of 2023 and tripling 2019 traffic, Yangcheng Evening News reported.
Staff reporter
