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The first buses and cars started crossing the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge on Wednesday morning, while the mega-project, which was heavily delayed, finally came into action.
The 55-kilometer bridge, the longest sea crossing in the world, was officially inaugurated on Tuesday by President Xi Jinping.
More than 20 vehicles lined up at the SkyCity interchange near the airport shortly before 9 am, waiting to enter Hong Kong harbor. Fewer than 10 policemen managed the traffic.
Enthusiastic pbadengers took selfies in front of the immigration dump building, with its wave-shaped roof signifying the flow of people.
Retired Ricky Fung Kwan-wah, 66, participated in a one-day visit to Macao and Zhuhai. He said the building was beautiful and the lights were changing color.
"I want to see Carrie Lam," he said, referring to Hong Kong general manager Carrie Lam Cheng Yuet-ngor, who attended the opening ceremony of the Chinese mainland on Tuesday with President Xi Jinping.
Ho Man, on his way to Zhongshan, said he only needed 30 minutes to get to the border control center.
He said that he usually went to Zhongshan via Shenzhen Bay port, but would consider using the bridge in the future because it was fast .
Law Chit-kwong, 55, who is working on the construction of the Tuen Mun-Chek Lap Kok link that will eventually connect the border post to the northwestern New Territories, took a day off to testify.
Bringing his bike with him, Law said that he had been touched to see the opening. He said that he planned to ride a bike around Macao, then travel to Zhuhai.
"Of course, I'm happy. I built it for five years, "he said.
Secretary of Transportation and Housing, Frank Chan Fan, said he was not expecting significant traffic during the bridge's first day of public service.
"In the initial period … the flow of pbadengers and traffic will be relatively small. It will take time to build, "said Chan, adding that he expects 30,000 Chinese visitors from mainland China to visit Hong Kong on Wednesday.
Transport Commissioner Mabel Chan Mei-bo said the government was expecting 100 coaches to take more than 5,000 pbadengers on the bridge.
Mable Chan urged citizens to use public transport to get to the port, as the number of private car parking spaces is limited.
Hung Wing-tat, a member of the Society for Transportation Studies in Hong Kong, said he is optimistic that the bridge would be popular in the long term for drivers and travelers alike.
"In the coming month, it will not meet the government's initial estimate that 9,000 to 14,000 vehicles use it every day. I think the main objective of the first month is to test the operation of the bridge, including the restaurant, "Hung said.
Stanley Chaing Chi-wai, a member of a cross-border truckers' union, said the bridge would make container trucking much cheaper between Hong Kong and Chinese cities near Zhuhai.
Before the bridge, such a trip could cost up to HK $ 6,000 and companies preferred to transport their goods by boat.
"It could be a third cheaper cost of carrying goods on deck, about HKD 4,000 per trip," Chaing said, adding that freight transport could be competitive or cheaper.
But Chaing said the most common destinations for cross-border truckers were the cities north and northeast of Hong Kong, such as Dongguan or Huizhou. With the uncertainty of the US-China trade war, he said it was too early to estimate the number of trucks that would use the bridge.
Proponents of the bridge said the crossing would create opportunities and benefits as part of the "Big Bay", a national program linking 11 cities in southern China to an integrated economic and business center, putting the three cities in an hour's drive from each other.
Hong Kong-based travelers may choose to use local transportation to reach the port at the end of the city before using a port-to-port shuttle bus for the cross-border trip and return to local services on the other. side.
Alternatively, intercity bus services will directly connect Hong Kong's downtown areas to Zhuhai and Macao, thus avoiding changes in Hong Kong.
But due to the announcement on short notice of the opening last Friday, it is estimated that cross-border coach operators will only offer about 50 to 60% of the 400 Daily scheduled return trips between the three cities.
Eddie Choi, deputy general manager of Eternal East Cross-Border Coach Management, the city's leading cross-border bus company, said that because of the haste, he could only organize about half of the 50 scheduled roundtrips to Zhuhai on Wednesday, with about 50 percent to 60 percent of tickets sold.
"We do not have the time to prepare the workforce and promote our new service. But we have received many requests from customers, "he said.
However, cross-border transport officials were optimistic about the benefits of the bridge, as it would create a new market by connecting the city to Guangdong Province in the west, which is not within reach of the high-speed train.
Chan Man-keung, spokesman for One Bus Hong Kong Macau, which provides a fleet of 19 coaches between Kwun Tong and the hub of the game, said the company could not conduct a test Wednesday. "We are having a computer problem when we try to adjust the ticket sales date. We can now officially use our service only from October 25, "he said.
A mega-bridge accused of worker deaths and a drop in the number of dolphins
Construction of the bridge section in Hong Kong started in 2011 and was originally scheduled to open in 2016. However, problems such as accidents at work, corruption investigation, technical obstacles and budget overruns have been recorded. . Hong Kong's bill for the project snowballed to HK $ 120 billion ($ 15.4 billion), including the cost of related infrastructure.
Cars and buses start crossing the Pearl River Delta while the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge is open to traffic and first appeared at the South China Morning Post
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