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Chinese President Xi Jinping on Tuesday inaugurated China's latest mega-infrastructure project, the longest sea crossing in the world.
A 34.2-mile bridge and tunnel, which has been under construction for nearly 10 years, connects semi-autonomous cities of Hong Kong and Macau by road to Zhuhai City in mainland China.
The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macau Bridge straddles the mouth of the Pearl River and significantly reduces travel time between the three cities. The four-hour trip from Zhuhai to Hong Kong now took 45 minutes.
A section of the crossing dives under water in a 4.2-mile tunnel that creates a channel over which large cargo vessel containers can pass.
The project has exceeded the budget – Hong Kong alone has invested $ 15 billion – and has been delayed, with opening planned for 2016.
At the opening ceremony, Han Zheng, a senior Chinese official who oversees Beijing's sometimes tense relations with Hong Kong, proclaimed the bridge the first time Hong Kong, Macau, and the mainland had cooperated on a major project. infrastructure.
Aly Song / Reuters
The bridge will help Hong Kong and Macao further integrate into mainland China, he said.
But for some in Hong Kong, which maintains a separate legal system from that of China, the bridge is only the latest example of Beijing's exercise of more influence over them. In September, a high-speed rail link directly connected the heart of Hong Kong with China's extensive rail network.
Hong Kong lawmaker Claudia Mo gave several interviews this year, comparing the new bridge to a symbolic umbilical cord linking Hong Kong to the motherland.
Beijing's plan is to fully integrate Hong Kong and Macau – known as "Vegas of Asia" and the world's largest gaming platform, with the Pearl River Delta area, a giant hub of manufacturing – in what Beijing calls the Great Bay Area, a center focused on technology and innovation to compete with Silicon Valley.
The new sea bridge is not without controversy. According to the Association for the Rights of Industrial Accident Victims, at least 10 workers died during the construction of the bridge and more than 600 were injured. In addition, environmentalists said the project had disrupted the habitat of Hong Kong's pink dolphin, already threatened with extinction.
Fred Dufour / AFP / Getty Images
By 2030, the authorities expect 29,100 vehicles and 126,000 passenger journeys to cross the bridge daily. But who can borrow the bridge now?
The priority seems to be trade and tourists. Goods manufactured at the western end of the Pearl River Delta can now reach the container port and Hong Kong International Airport in 45 minutes, and a tourist landing at the International Airport of Hong Kong now offers another option to reach Macau instead of taking a ferry.
All vehicles that will be allowed on deck, including trucks, coaches, shuttles and some private cars, will require licenses from all three jurisdictions. The three jurisdictions will also require passengers to clear customs and immigration.
Anthony Wallace / AFP / Getty Images
Strict quotas will be applied for private cars. Only 10,000 Hong Kong cars owned by people or companies that meet certain criteria will be licensed to enter the continent. For vehicles, a separate cross-border Chinese registration plate will be required. Only 300 cars from Hong Kong can enter Macau and 600 licensed Macau cars can go to Hong Kong.
There is no public transport between cities. Private tour bus companies will provide a shuttle bus between immigration points at both ends of the bridge and authorized transborder tourist buses to central Hong Kong and Zhuhai.
One of these cross-border operators, Trans-Island Limousine, told ABC News Tuesday morning that he is starting a slow rollout of bus lines this week. A one-way ticket will cost the equivalent of $ 15 and a return ticket, about $ 28.
