The world’s longest sea bridge opens

After nine years of construction, the world’s longest sea bridge in China is officially open.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

Flash back: #Construction of the world’s longest sea #bridge. After 9 years’ hard work, the 55-kilometer-long Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which began construction on Dec. 15, 2009, is to be officially open to traffic at 9 a.m. on Oct. 24. It will slash the travel time between Hong Kong and Zhuhai from three hours to just 30 minutes. Xinhua/Liang Xu &Liu Dawei #seabridge #hongkongzhuhaimacaobridge #longestseabridge #flashback

A post shared by China Xinhua News 新华社 (@chinaxinhuanews) on Oct 22, 2018 at 6:22pm PDT

The 55 kilometre bridge links Hong Kong and Macau to the mainland of China. Proclaimed to be longer than San Francisco‘s, Golden Gate Bridge, this sea bridge includes a road bridge and a 6,7 kilometre underwater tunnel. This newly completed structure is also the sixth largest bridge on earth.

Image credit: Anthony Wallace/ AFP

Linking Hong Kong’s Lantau island to Zhuhai across the waters of the Pearl River Estuary, this new development will cut the the Hong Kong and Zhuhai journey from four hours to only 30 minutes. The bridge was constructed with 400 000 tonnes of steel, making it strong enough to stand firm against any earthquake.

Image credit: Anthony Wallace/ AFP

Many people are celebrating this engineering structure, with hopes that it will continue to boost China’s tourism and economic industries, however the bridge has faced much criticism due to its large costs and the impact it has had on the marine life. To cross the bridge, one must get a special permit. All the vehicles will have to pay a toll fee.

Read about travelling in Hong Kong in the November 2018 issue of Getaway magazine, on sale now.