The longest sea bridge in the world is a fact – Newsbeast

Traffic jams are not new in China, especially during public holidays, where there is a lot of traffic on the streets, as millions of people travel across the country to reunite with family and friends.

"We were stuck in traffic for more than 15 hours on the last day of National Day," said bus driver Su Houying, in conversation with his colleague Lee Jingwang. "Yes, a lot of cars and buses, and a terrible traffic," agreed Li. "If I had the opportunity, I would certainly go from the bridge," he said. -he declares.

The bridge Su is referring to will soon become a reality. It is a 55 km bridge connecting Hong Kong to Jhuhai and Macau (HKZM). This gigantic book was built over water in the Pearl River Delta in southern China, and will be published on October 24th. It connects three regions, each with its own social system, economic speculation and language. Su and Li are from two of these regions: Guangdong Su and Hong Kong Li. They have been working for the same travel agency for over 20 years.

"When I started, in 1997, there was no bridge or highway," he said. "It took more than four hours to go from Jiangmen to Hong Kong."

And Li remembers the difficulties of the past. "We had to take the boat and, besides, there were a lot fewer buses and cars."

The fact that the infrastructure of this relatively small but very densely populated area is so important is anything but surprising. The Grand Gulf region includes Hong Kong, Macau and nine cities in Guangdong. There are more people than the total population of the United Kingdom, three of the largest container ports in the world, while its GDP is greater than that of Australia.

The bridge will limit the length of the road linking Jujahai to Hong Kong from three hours to 30 minutes, but it's just one piece of the puzzle. Hong Kong will be connected to a high speed train with the continental network while a number of infrastructure projects are under construction in the Pearl River Delta.

The bridge itself is a colossal creature. The amount of steel from which it is built is enough to erect 60 Eiffel towers, while the used cement reaches 22 Chrysler skyscrapers. The new bridge can withstand earthquakes of magnitude 8 and super hurricanes, while it is built to last a century of operation. According to the competent body for the operation of HKZM, the Hong Kong-Jhuhai-Macao Bridge, the world's longest bridge, inaugurated on December 15, 2009, will officially open at 9:00 am (local time). Wednesday.