Hong Kong to Macau Bridge Passes Inspection

THE MAIN section of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge has passed an important safety inspection ahead of its opening, Chinese have officials confirmed.

Linking the two Special Administrative Regions, as well as branching off to mainland China on either side, the 34-mile (55 kilometre) bridge is the world’s longest sea crossing.

It will cut the travel time between the two cities from 3 hours to under 30 minutes once operational. 

Above: The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau crossing passed an important safety inspection last month (image courtesy of Xinhua). Below: A map showing the bridge's route (image courtesy of Wikimedia).

Spanning the Pearl River Delta, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge also includes a 4.2 mile (6.7 kilometre) undersea tunnel in order to allow the safe passage of shipping traffic.

Though much shorter, the Øresund Bridge connecting Denmark and Sweden has a similar design.

Above: The link spans the Pearl River Delta in south China (image courtesy of Xinhua).

The record-breaking crossing was formally completed at the end of 2017, when the lighting system was installed and tested. The opening for vehicular traffic is planned on 01 July 2018.

Above: The crossing is set to open to vehicular traffic on 01 July 2018 (image courtesy of Xinhua).

Issues yet to be resolved before the bridge opens includes toll collection and customs clearances between Hong Kong, Macau and the mainland.