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Reuters
Officials said traffic should not be charged on the first day
The world's longest sea crossing bridge was opened to the public on Wednesday, but traffic was weak on the first day.
Officials said they did not expect many vehicles to immediately take the road, adding that it could take "time to build."
The bridge, worth $ 20 billion, extends over 55 km and connects Hong Kong with Macao and Zhuhai City, mainland China.
It was officially inaugurated Tuesday by Chinese President Xi Jinping.
"All major infrastructures [project] its volume of passengers and traffic is relatively low during the initial period. It takes time, Secretary of Transportation Frank Chan told reporters.
Martin Yip, of the BBC, went on Wednesday to Macau aboard one of these buses. There were hardly any cars or trucks on the bridge, but the route used private shuttles.
A huge crowd was lining up to shuttle to the Hong Kong terminal. "The atmosphere at the airport was busy, it was very busy and people were lining up, even though many of them were pensioners." There were not many young people there. ", did he declare.
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Reuters
Shuttles have brought many commuters across the border
Some enthusiastic passengers documented the entire trip over the phone. A woman told the AFP news agency that she wanted to "look at the view".
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Private drivers wishing to cross the bridge must obtain special permits, allocated according to a strict quota system. All vehicles must also pay a toll.
Only 10,000 permits are available for Hong Kong residents wishing to travel to Zhuhai, Guangdong Province. The permits are valid for five years.
The only people or organizations that have "made some financial or political contributions on the continent" will be granted licenses, according to the South China Morning Post.
To further complicate matters, drivers will also have to change side of the road where they are passing.
People drive on the left in Hong Kong and Macau, but the bridge is in Chinese territory and special fusion channels have been set up to deal with it.
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Authorities initially estimated that 9,200 vehicles would cross the bridge each day. They then lowered their estimates after the construction of new transportation networks in the region.
Special cameras will include looking for drivers on the bridge who will show signs of falling asleep, among other things – yawning three times and authorities will be alerted, according to a local media report.
A marvel of engineering
Designed to withstand earthquakes and typhoons, the bridge was built with 400,000 tons of steel, enough to build 60 Eiffel towers.
About 30 km of its total length crosses the sea from the delta of the Pearl River. To allow the passage of the ships, a section of 6.7 km in the center sinks in an underwater tunnel connecting two artificial islands.
The remaining sections are connecting roads, viaducts and ground tunnels connecting Zhuhai and Hong Kong to the main bridge.
Previously, the trip between Zhuhai and Hong Kong took up to four hours – the new bridge reduced it to 30 minutes.
"Bridge of Death"
But the bridge has also received its share of criticism.
It has been dubbed the "bridge of death" by some local media. At least nine workers from Hong Kong have died and officials told BBC News Chinese that nine more had died on the continent.
The impact on the environment has also raised concerns, conservative groups claiming that the project could have caused serious damage to marine life in the region – including the very serious Chinese white dolphin.
"The project has caused irreversible damage to the sea," said Samantha Lee, deputy director of ocean conservation at WWF. "I'm afraid the number will never increase again."
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AFP
According to environmental groups, it is rare to see Chinese white dolphins around the bridge after years of construction
The construction of the bridge, surrounding connecting roads and artificial islands costs $ 20 billion, with the main bridge alone costing $ 6.92 billion.
But according to a BBC Chinese estimate, the bridge will only bring in $ 86 million worth of tolls per year.
Chinese authorities said the economy would generate up to 10 trillion yuan ($ 1.44 billion), but Hong Kong lawmakers have doubted this figure.
