Main structure of world's longest cross-sea project completed

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Construction of the world's longest and deepest undersea tunnel, part of the Hong Kong-Zhuhai-Macao (HKZM) Bridge, has been finished.

It means all parts of the sea-crossing mega-structure are now connected, authorities announced during a ceremony on Friday.

The ambitious project, jointly carried out by the three cities, spans 55 kilometers and consists of several parts including a 22.9-kilometer bridge, the 6.7-kilometer undersea tunnel, which lied 40 meters below sea level, and two artificial islands which will accommodate the transition to the bridge.

"Construction of the main body is basically finished, including the islands and the tunnel. What's left is the 70,000 square meters of buildings on the two islands. According to our planning, both are nearing completion," said Lin Ming, Chief Engineer of the HKZM Bridge project.

"The bridge has passed all engineering risks, and we will prepare it for public use in a few months," said Zhu Yongling, director of the management bureau of the bridge.

The project is expected to be fully operational by the end of 2017, and the Y-shaped bridge will cut down driving time from Macao and Zhuhai to Hong Kong from three hours to just 30 minutes.

The completion of the bridge will also facilitate better connectivity in the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay area, which consists of the two special administrative regions as well as nine mainland cities in Guangdong including tech-hub Shenzhen and trade center Guangzhou.

"The bridge is a core infrastructure project in the greater bay area," Xiao Geng, a Professor at the University of Hong Kong told CGTN earlier, "Some cities in the area are still less developed due to poor transportation. Therefore, we need to build more highways and other infrastructure facilities first."

Last Saturday, Chinese President Xi Jinping visited the construction site on his three-day trip to Hong Kong SAR.