LetsGetRowdy
FULL MEMBER
- Joined
- Jun 7, 2011
- Messages
- 1,215
- Reaction score
- 0
HK-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge under construction in Hong Kong port
The worlds longest sea bridge is currently under construction, which will link the southern economic hub of Guangdong Province to the special administrative regions of Hong Kong and Macao.
On Wednesday, construction began on new artificial islands in the port of Hong Kong, which will link the territory with Zhuhai and Macao. The construction follows work on other islands in the two neighbouring ports that began in 2009.
The next phase of a massive construction project will transform the Pearl River Delta. An inauguration ceremony was held on Wednesday to mark the beginning of construction on the bridges Hong Kong section.
The special administrative regions chief executive came out to mark the occasion. Donald Tsang, chief executive of Hong Kong SAR, said, "The project is expected to start a new chapter for the connection of Hong Kong and the mainland. It will further increase the links and promote economic cooperation between the mainland and Hong Kong, especially for tourism, finance, and trade relations."
The immense engineering project will slash driving times significantly. After its completion, a drive from Hong Kong to Macau or Zhuhai will take about only 40 minutes, down from more than 4 hours.
Due to the long distances between the cities, the project is actually a series of bridges and tunnels, connected by artificial islands.
The main bridge runs from the Guangdong-Hong Kong boundary to an artificial island off the coast of Zhuhai city. The 50 kilometer link is expected to become one of the defining landmarks in the area, comprising 22 kilometers of bridges, 6 kilometers of tunnels, and 1.2 kilometers of artificial islands.
Engineers are also working hard to protect the local marine life during construction. The bridge, which is scheduled to open to traffic in 2016, looks to further integrate the Pearl River Delta, bringing a new era of prosperity to one of Chinas key industrial and financial heartlands.