Local leaders hope the bridge will expand the potential for growth in the area, by easing access to cheaper land on the western side and ports and other infrastructure to the east.
Critics of the project say its goals are more political than economic, aiding efforts by China’s central government to bind the former colonies of Hong Kong and Macau more tightly with the rest of the country.
— The New York Times
Delayed by two years, billions of dollars over budget, and wrought with controversy, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge was officially declared open by China's leader Xi Jinping today. With AECOM as engineers, the 34-mile structure required over 400,000 tons of steel and includes a 4-mile undersea tunnel that links the Hong Kong side to the main bridge span. As part of the bridge, Rogers Stirk Harbour + Partners and AEDAS designed the Passenger Clearance Building, a boundary crossing facility, on a new 150-hectare artificial island.
With the bridge, traveling from Zhuhai to Hong Kong International Airport will take 45 minutes instead of four hours, officials said. Traveling between Zhuhai and the Kwai Tsing Container Terminal will take 75 minutes instead of 3.5 hours.
According to The New York Times, most travelers will cross the bridge via shuttle bus lines. Private cars will have limited access, and special permits will be required to drive through the entire structure.
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