Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge links city cluster in the Pearl River Delta

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By CGTN's He Weiwei

A mega-bridge expected to cut drive times from Hong Kong to both Macao and Zhuhai on the southern coast of the Chinese mainland from hours to around 30 minutes seems to be nearing completion after seven and a half years of construction.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge, which actually consists of a series of bridges and tunnels crossing the Pearl River estuary, has seen several breakthroughs recently. On April 10, project managers announced that the tunnel connecting Zhuhai and Macao had been linked. And on Tuesday, the final joint of the bridge's undersea tunnel was installed.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge /CGTN Photo

Complicated geological conditions mean engineers have to proceed carefully. The whole project includes many structures – 23 kilometers of bridges, seven kilometers of tunnels, and a number of artificial islands.

The Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao Bridge /CGTN Photo

The whole network is expected to be operational by the end of 2017, after work on it officially began in December 2009.

Officials believe the bridge will help improve trade and economic activity in the Pearl River Delta.

Vincent Chou lives in Macao and drives to Zhuhai every day for work. /CGTN Photo

Vincent Chou is a businessman form Macao who runs an IT company in Zhuhai's free trade zone. One in five of his employees are from Macao, and they travel between the two places for work every day. Chou said the bridge “is like having another airport at home” because he will be able to use it to drive to the airport in Hong Kong within half an hour.

During the first 10 months of 2016, shipping volumes from Zhuhai to Hong Kong grew by 5 percent, and from Zhuhai to Macao by 33 percent. It is believed that more businesses based in Hong Kong and Macao will move to the mainland, easing pressure from limited land resources.