World’s longest sea-crossing bridge opens between Hong Kong and mainland China

Tuesday, October 23, 2018

A $20-billion sea link bridge connecting Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland Chinese city of Zhuhai is set to finally open this week, marking the completion of the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built, nine years after construction began. It is expected that this link to ease the communication between Hong Kong and Macau with China.

The Chinese President Xi Jinping is expected to attend a ceremony in Zhuhai on Tuesday, along with top officials from Hong Kong and Macau, with the bridge opening to public traffic Wednesday.

The 55-kilometer (34-mile) bridge was originally due to open in 2016, but repeated delays pushed that to 2018.

It is a key element of China’s plan for a Greater Bay Area covering 56,500 square kilometers (21,800 square miles) across southern China, and encompassing 11 cities, including Hong Kong and Macau, that are home to a combined 68 million people.

The bridge project has come in for fierce criticism in Hong Kong, where there was little public demand or appetite for greater links to either Macau or Zhuhai, and fears the city will be swamped by tourists from mainland China.

In 2016, Hong Kong saw 56.7 million tourist arrivals, compared to 37.6 million for the UK, a much larger country.

This longest sea bridge, connecting Hong Kong, Macau and the Chinese mainland will open to traffic on October 24, 2018.

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