Pedestrians will not be able to cross the bridge, nor will bicyclists; it’s just for cars.
If you build, it they will come. Something huge is coming. The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is the world’s longest sea bridge, intended to cut the travel time from the Chinese mainland to two of its Special Administrative Regions in half.
Due to open to the public this summer, this long bridge will connect a small city on the Chinese mainland with the two Special Administrative Regions of Hong Kong and Macau. But since the bridge was first suggested in 2003, it has stirred controversy.
Spanning 34 miles (55 kilometers), this is the longest sea-crossing bridge ever built.
The intention of building a bridge is to start closing barriers, in part to boost tourism, the transportation of goods, and promote integration between three Chinese cities. But each of the three cities, according to ABC, each have their own distinct set of legal systems and road rules, including special vehicle permits and very tight caps on how many cars from other jurisdictions can be in the city at one time.
About 40,000 vehicles are expected to use the bridge each day, which raises a lot of questions about how rules and regulations might evolve in China alongside the development of their overseas transportation.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is part of China’s master plan to develop its own Greater Bay Area — a region it hopes will develop to rival the bay areas of San Francisco, New York and Tokyo in terms of technological innovation and economic success. The official narrative is that greater regional integration will drive economic growth.
Home to 68 million people, the Greater Bay Area covers 21,800 square miles (56,500 square kilometers) in central southern China, and encompasses 11 cities — Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities across Guangdong province.
Once the bridge is open, tourists — both from China and other countries — will be able to travel from Hong Kong’s airport to Macau and the mainland in about 45 minutes.
