Hong Kong's mega-bridge traffic accounts for only 37% of the estimated figure in 2008

On its first day of operation, the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge reached only 37% of the planned vehicle flow in 2008.

According to its control center, the bridge was used 2,305 times at 10 pm Wednesday, after 13 hours of operation. A total of 965 vehicles were bound for Hong Kong, while 1,340 were bound for Zhuhai and Macao. Of the trips recorded, 1,154 were small pbadenger cars, 1,120 were shuttles and 31 were trucks.

The figures were well below the estimates published by the three governments in 2008. They predicted between 9,200 and 14,000 vehicles per day at the bridge opening, an average of 483 vehicles per hour.

Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Photo: GovHK.

Regarding the flow of pbadengers, the Ministry of Immigration said that 9,994 pbadengers entered Hong Kong by the bridge at 4 pm Wednesday and 12,950 had left the city. The average was 3,278 hours per hour, which is higher than the 2,605 hourly pbadenger trips estimated ten years ago.

Transportation and Housing Minister Frank Chan said on Wednesday that the government had estimated usage figures by 2030, but said they should only be used as a reference because the development of economies and cities could change.

Pbadengers at Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Photo: GovHK.

"Our main goal is to increase the volume of use of the bridge and to ensure that traffic in Hong Kong, especially on Lantau Island, can run smoothly," he said.

He said it was a natural phenomenon that the circulation was similar to the tide of the ocean, with high and low periods.

He added that it would be even more convenient for Hong Kong residents to use the bridge when the airport liaison route would be completed next year, and another towards Tuen Mun in 2020.

Frank Chan talking to a bus driver in the Hong Kong port of Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge. Photo: GovHK.

The Hong Kong government has not revealed updated estimates regarding the first flows of vehicles and pbadengers when asked by lawmakers in January.

But a consultant hired by the three parties estimated that the bridge's daily traffic would be around 29,100 and 42,000 vehicles in 2030 and 2037 respectively, while the daily pbadenger flow would be 126,000 and 175,000 respectively.