One of the most ambitious infrastructure projects ever undertaken in the history of the world will officially open to traffic today following a glitzy opening ceremony officiated by the President of China, Xi Jinping, on Tuesday morning.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge (HZMB), which took nine years and cost US$20 billion to complete, is the world’s longest sea span bridge connecting three key cities in the Greater Bay Area.
With President Xi travelling to Zhuhai to declare the bridge open, the ceremony was also attended by Macau SAR Chief Executive Fernando Chui Sai On, China’s Vice Premier Han Zheng, Guangdong Communist Party of China chief Li Xi and Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Chief Executive Carrie Lam.
Construction of the HZMB, spanning 55 kilometers across the South China Sea, began on 15 December 2009
Despite being popularly known as a bridge, the project actually combines a number of different solutions to link the Pearl River Delta gap. The engineering of the “bridge” combines segments of underwater tunnels and two artificial islands together with real bridge sectors.
The HZMB is expected to empower synergies between the three cities. While industrial and commercial links may escalate between Hong Kong and Zhuhai, Macau is expected to see a higher influx of tourists once the bridge is fully operational.
During the opening ceremony, Chui highlighted how the structure and a new system of customs inspection will improve the flow of people between Guangdong province and Macau. He also remarked that the bridge is a great project in the history of Chinese architecture and a symbol of the development of the “Chinese Dream.”
The HZMB officially opens for traffic at 09:00 local time.
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