Hong Kong Zhuhai Macao Bridge Opens Today

After nine years of construction the Hong Kong- Zhuhai-Macao Bridge (HKZM) opened today – Wednesday 24th October 2018.

Spanning 55km across the Pearl River Estuary, HKZM is a series of interconnecting bridges and tunnels, supported by a small artificial island, and said to be the longest bridge and tunnel sea crossing in the world.

Dr Peter Lam, Chairman of the Hong Kong Tourism Board said “Following last month’s commencement of the High Speed Rail Hong Kong Section, which connects Hong Kong to the Mainland’s High Speed Rail network and further reinforces our position as China’s southern most gateway, the opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge marks a significant milestone in the establishment of a one-hour living circle in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, and creates new opportunities for tourism development in the region.”

Dawn Page, director of the Hong Kong Tourism Board for the UK and Northern Europe said, “The opening of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge solidifies Hong Kong’s position as a transportation hub within Asia. Our city easily connects travellers with neighbouring cities in the mainland, and provides other access opportunities for those already in China.”

The bridge has been designed as a pivotal land transport link between Hong Kong, Zhuhai and Macao and includes a dual three lane carriageway starting from an artificial island near Hong Kong International Airport to the eastern shores of Macao.

Expected to last 120 years, HKZM will cut land transport time between Hong Kong and Macao to just 45 minutes, down from four hours and is situated on Lantau Island, close to the Hong Kong International Airport and within easy reach of Hong Kong’s tourism attractions.

Fun Facts:

• HKZM is the world’s longest bridge and sea crossing in the world
• HKZM is 20 times the size of San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge and 25 times the size of Hong Kong’s Tsing Ma Bridge
• Its construction used 60 times more steel used to build the Eiffel Tower
• Each steel cylinder used to build the tunnel is 50 metres high (the equivalent of a 17 story building) and weighs 550 tons (about the weight of the Airbus A380)

For more information about Hong Kong, visit www.DiscoverHongKong.com.

For more information about the bridge, please visit http://www.hzmb.hk/eng/index.html